This Life
by Fasterthanfurious
Summary: Laura runs from things she cant handle only to be met by a group of people that will change her life forever. Can she cope with their past as well as hers? And will someone open her heart to the world again? Read on to find out...
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1-

As Laura looked out of the plane window she caught her last glimpse of home, or at least what had been her home for the past 18 years. She leant her head back on the seat and closed her eyes and she was once again overwhelmed by her thoughts. Had she done the right thing? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she couldn't stand where her life had been headed. First A levels, then University, then a job that required 24 hour attention. She wasn't that type of person, she wanted more than that. It had been her dream now for two years to escape to California, find some kind of waitressing job that would get her by and just live her life the way she wanted. Her friends had laughed at her, telling her it would never happen, that she'd 'grow out of it'. Laura knew though that that wouldn't happen.

Now, as she sat watching the airhostess handing out drinks she suddenly felt scared. She was heading to a foreign country with no friends to meet her, not a lot of money and really no plan as to where shed go when she landed. Even worse was the fact that she hadn't sorted out a visa for herself, so in three months time the authorities would want her out of the country. She wasn't planning on being found though. As she tried not to think about how wrong things could go, she found herself holding back a few tears. She would miss her family and friends and she felt a little guilty at the fact they didn't even know she had left. All she did to ensure her parents wouldn't call the cops was to leave a very short note explaining she was away on a trip and would call when she could. No one had even noticed she had booked the ticket three months ago, of course why would they? Did anyone care enough to notice at how much she had been hurting lately? But she couldn't think of all that now. Finally, when her mind was exhausted from thinking the unthinkable Laura feel into a restless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- 

The sound of the captain announcing they were about to land woke Laura. She had slept for the whole flight! She clicked her seatbelt on and stared out at the city below them. It was certainly a lot different to anywhere in the UK! It was still early, but as the sun rose the tall buildings lit up, shimmering as if by magic. She couldn't help but feel awed by the experience. This was her home now and as the butterflies started in her stomach she realised just how excited she was.

Walking through the airport towards the baggage collection points Laura realised shed have to figure out where to go. Would she stay in the city or go for the coast? She had always wanted to go to Santa Monica…. Finally she grabbed her bags off the conveyor belt and struggled out of the bustling crowd. As she walked towards the check in kiosks she realised the men standing next to them where very intimidating.

"Are you here for business or pleasure?" the large man asked her.

"Uh, pleasure."

"Can I see your return ticket please or any forms that proved you have the right to stay here longer than 90 days?"

She handed him her return ticket, booked for exactly 90 days later. She had anticipated this kind of interrogation and had spent A LOT of money for the return ticket. She wasn't planning on using it of course.

"Thank you, enjoy your stay Madame", He handed her back her ticket and ushered her past him.

That wasn't too bad, now to find a taxi. As she stepped outside and breathed in the air she couldn't help but smile. She had finally made it and no one was going to ruin this for her. She hailed down a taxi and got in after putting the bags in the trunk.

"Where too?" the scruffy looking cab driver asked her.

"Santa Monica please." She smiled as she said it.

The cab driver grunted a reply and sped off. Laura watched the buildings fly past and finally she could notice the coast ahead of them. 40 minutes after leaving the airport they reached Santa Monica,

"Where abouts you want dropped?"

Oh shit! She had forgotten to get a map or leaflets or something from the airport. She didn't have a clue where to stay!

"Ummm…Do you know any decent motels?"

"Sure thing."

2 minutes later he pulled up outside Golden Sands Motel,

"Its right beside the sea and its pretty damn cheap." The cab driver said as he turned to smile at her with some very crooked teeth.

"Uh, thanks, how much do I owe you?"

"Meter says 42 dollars, but for you hun Ill make it 35." He grinned at her again and it was really starting to freak her out.

She handed him the money and quickly got out, just about remembering to grab her bags from the trunk. She really hoped he would forget where she was staying, it made her uneasy to think he knew she was here! She made her way to reception and was even able to get one of the rooms facing the sea. It had cost her 30 dollars for a night, which wasn't too bad. She had calculated approximately how long she would last without a job and came up with a month. That wasn't long so shed have to start looking straight away if she didn't want to starve to death.

She went into her room and collapsed on the bed. She may have slept the whole flight but jet lag was catching up on her already. As she listened to the sea and though of all the great things to come she couldn't help but drift into a deep, content sleep, the first she had had in months!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- 

Two weeks had passed and Laura had only just found a job bar tending at a local nightclub 4 nights a week. As she finished her first night she realised just how much she missed her friends. After watching the groups of people laughing and having a blast throughout the night she had finally decided to call them. As she said goodbye to Suzie, the girl who had shown her the ropes that night, she walked outside to find it had cooled down an awful lot. As she put her hoody on and pulled the hood up she heard roaring engines coming her way. She looked up just in time to see a red RX-7 fly past her with a cop car hot on its tail. She had seen a lot of that lately, the street racers seemed to think that coming down to the coast would mean cops wouldn't chase them, but really it was just as bad as racing in the city!

Every time she saw a racer she was always reminded of her dad, he had been a mechanic for years before he retired early. He had always been so into cars and she had followed suite, helping him in his garage after school nearly every day. It also reminded her of what she really wanted to work at while she was here- cars. It wasn't so easy finding a mechanic willing to take in a foreigner who had no papers to prove she was staying here legally. So she had to settle for a bar job, not really what she had in mind but hopefully it wouldn't be for long.

Laura let herself into her motel room, which had now become hell for her. Every night she had to listen to loud TV's, people fighting or people having sex and she hated it! No matter how hard she looked though she couldn't find a place to stay. All apartments or rooms to rent were really expensive and it wasn't like she was earning loads at the minute. Everyday things seemed to look bleaker and bleaker and she had found herself slipping into a depression she did NOT want to be in! She knew where that would take her……

As she got undressed to take a shower she looked at her clock. The digital digits read 1.30am. She was too tired to shower and instead pulled some pyjamas on and got into bed.

She was just about to drift off when she heard a loud voice outside. She got up and went to her window. A girl was standing shouting into her phone while her Turquoise Acura Intergra smoked beside her.

"Oh God...", Laura muttered as she pulled on a jacket and stepped outside. The girl had just hung up her phone and was looking around like a lost puppy.

"Hey, you don't need help with that do you?" Laura asked whilelooking at the Acura.

"Can you….you know…are you good with cars?" the girl asked, looking as though she didn't really trust Lauras abilities.

"Yeah, I'm OK I guess." Laura popped the hood and was surrounded by smoke.

The engine was done up well, a lot of performance parts added.

"This must have cost a packet!" Laura said as she tightened a few things and looked around, "You need more coolant is all. I don't have any so you'll have to leave the car here till the morning I guess."

"Shit! How will I get home? My brother has just been put in a cell overnight and I cant get through to any of my friends!" The girl looked worried.

This left Laura thinking. She couldnt just leave her here...but it wasnt her problem, "Do you have any money?"

"No."

There was nothing for it then, " You could stay with me if you want. Or I could just lend you thirty dollars if you wanna get a room."

"Oh, I hate owing people money. Could I maybe crash on your sofa or something?"

"Sure, no problem." Laura led her into the room, "I just got in from work so the place is a mess. Ive kinda had to crash here a few weeks now cuz Ive…well, Ive got no were else to go at the mo."

"Oh no, it's fine."

The girl settled herself on the sofa at the end of the room and Laura got some blankets out of the wardrobe for her. She then got back into bed and lay there for a few minutes.

" Youve got a strange accent. Where you from?"

"Ireland."

"Cool, I'm Mia by the way. And thanks for this, I owe you big time."

"No problem."

Laura lay awake for quite a long time until she knew Mia was asleep. Then she let her guard down and finally drifted off.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- 

Laura was woken by the sound of the door clicking open. She quickly turned over to find Mia sneaking outside.

"Oh hey, sorry, did I wake you? I wanted to leave without disturbing you….I left my number on a card over there so you could call me or something. I could do something to say thanks for you helping me. My brother is on his way over to get me….and he's bringing coolant." Mia laughed at this.

"Don't worry about it. Ill go out and wait with you, I wanna make sure the car starts up Ok anyway…"

Laura got up out of bed and pulled her jacket back on. As she walked over to the door she glanced at the clock, it read 7.08am. She hadn't slept much at all, no wonder she felt like shit! Mia and her settled on a bench outside Laura's room and within a few minutes a red Mazda RX-7 sped into the parking lot. A very well built man got out of the car and rushed over to them.

"Shit Mia, you OK? I can't believe you couldn't get through to Letty or one of the others last night. Sorry I wasn't there for you, I got shut up for the night, typical right!"

"No problem Dom. This is….uh, what's your name?" Mia looked at her, looking a little embarrassed.

"Oh sorry, I'm Laura." She held her hand out and was met by a very firm grip.

"Thanks for lookin out for her last night. I owe you…I'm Dom by the way." He smiled at her and then walked over to his car, taking what Laura guessed was coolant out of the trunk. He worked at Mias car for a few seconds and Laura watched as he worked with the engine. He was definitely no stranger to them.

"Right, I'm done. You coming Mia?" he called over.

Mia got up and smiled at Laura, "Remember my number is on the card in there, give me a call…or come round to the store. See ya!" And with that she was gone.

As both cars sped down the road and round a corner Laura watched with fascination. What did Mia mean, the store? What store?

Laura walked into her room and lifted the card sitting on her bedside table. 'Torreto's' was written on it along with a number and some directions. She guessed Torretos was the store Mia was on about! Maybe she would go over, maybe this Dom guy knew a mechanics she could work at.

She went and had a quick shower and pulled on a pair of faded jeans, a black halter neck top and her black converse. She pulled her long black hair into a ponytail and looked at herself in the mirror. Her green eyes sparkled as she though of the prospect of finding a job in a performance shop. It would totally fulfil her dreams…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5- 

Laura hadn't really needed Mia's directions. She had caught a bus into the outskirts of LA and hitched a lift from a guy who, thankfully, knew his way around.

"Thanks for the lift dude." She said as she got out of the car.

He waved a goodbye and sped off. Laura entered Toretto's, which looked like a grocery shop, to find Mia standing at the counter talking with Dom.

"Hey. Hope you don't mind me comin' over here so soon." Laura said as Mia smiled at her.

"No problem, if your not busy you can help me out for a few hours. I could use the company."

"No problemo. I was actually wonderin' if your brother knew any mechanics looking for someone to hire… You just kinda looked like the kinda guy who might…" Laura looked at Dom as he grinned and thought for a minute.

"You good with engines?"

"Yeah, I'm Ok. My dad used to own a garage and I used to help him out. Got pretty good with the tools…and then he retired."

Dom smiled at her and looked at Mia who nodded.

"Well then, looks like you've got a job if you want it…" he said waiting for a response from Laura.

"Seriously? You know someone then?"

"I own a shop. Mia will bring you round later when she closes the shop at about three. You Ok with that?"

"Sure. Thanks dude I totally appreciate it."

"Don't thank me yet. I might have to fire you if you're hopeless… or if you're an undercover cop. Are you?"

Mia laughed at the bemused looked on Laura's face, "Uh no."

"Right then, see you two later." And with that Dom waltzed outside, got into his RX-7 and sped away, leaving Mia laughing at her.

"What was that?" Laura asked her laughing.

"Oh nothing, he's just being Dom!"

The two of them sat and laughed for hours, mainly at the random customers they got throughout the day. One man shouted at them for not having his favourite toothpaste! At ten to three Mia locked up the shop and drove them to DT's, Doms garage.

As Laura walked up the ramp into the garage she felt overwhelmed, there were hundreds of tools about the place, some she hadn't even seen before. Mia smiled and waved at a tough looking girl who was in the process of fixing a Celica.

"Hey girl, how've ya been?" the girl asked Mia while eyeing Laura as if she were the devil.

"Good, is Dom in the back?"

The girl nodded and turned the radio up as she rolled underneath the Celica. Laura noticed three other guys working around the shop and they all smiled at her. Mia led her into a back office were Dom was sitting doing paperwork.

"Hey bro."

Dom looked up and grinned when he saw Laura, "So you didn't run away them?"

"No," Laura said smiling sweetly, " do I have any reason to?"

He laughed, "Maybe. So Mia will introduce you to the team and get one of them to show you the ropes for the rest of the day. I'll need you in Monday to Friday, you Ok with that?"

"Yeah," Laura replied as she thought of the pleasure she'd get from calling the club and telling them to stick their job.

Mia led her back into the garage and banged the door with her fist, "Hey guys, listen up. This is Laura, Dom's just hired her. Make her feel at home, Ok?" She directed this last request to the girl looking daggers at Laura.

"Hey," they all said in unison and the three guys got back to work. The girl just stood looking Laura up and down from under her eyelids and chewing her gum. She really looked as though she could kill her.

"That's Vince (Mia pointed to a very scruffy, muscular looking guy), Leon ( he had a nice smile and seemed friendlier that the rest), Jesse (he looked very young, maybe Laura's age and seemed very shy) and Letty," she lastly pointed to the girl who was now talking to Dom, "Don't worry about her, she'll take a while to accept you but it'll be fine. Just don't rattle her cage."

Laura nodded and heeded this warning well, she did not want to be in that girls bad books.

"Hey, Leon!" Mia called and the guy looked up and walked over to them when he could see Mia wanted something.

"Yeah."

"Would you take care of Laura today. She knows her way round a car, just not around the garage. Give her a job and show her were the tools are and she'll be fine."

Mia smiled and walked off into the back. Leon lead her over to the Honda Accord he was working at, "So, you know your way around a car?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

Here we go, thought Laura, "Yeah, mostly."

Leon smiled and handed her a wrench, "Good."

For the next two hours she helped him with the Accord and actually surprised him with her knowledge. By 5.30 they all started packing up and Laura finally felt at ease talking with the others, although Letty was still being wary. It turned out they were all pretty dead on, despite the rough exteriors.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- 

Mia had invited Laura back to their place for some food and to watch a movie. As they pulled up outside the house in Mia's Acura, Laura couldn't help but feel nervous. This would be the first time in ages she would actually be hanging out with new friends and she knew she didn't wanna mess this up. Mia was really great and the others seemed as though they cared for each other loads…Laura could use friends like them.

"So, did you enjoy your first day?" Leon asked her as she sat down in the living room beside Letty who was now pretty involved with the playstation.

"Yeah, it felt so good to be under the hood of a car again."

He smiled and walked into the kitchen leaving her with Letty. As she watched Letty out of the corner of her eye she couldn't help but wonder what her problem was. Did she just not like new people, or did she feel threatened by Laura? Or maybe there was a reason for her to be nervous with her, maybe it had something to do with Dom asking her if she was a cop. It all seemed a little complicated and now definitely wasn't the time to ask questions, she didn't know them well enough yet.

The rest of the group came into the living room and sat around the place. Mia wasn't there, so she had obviously been left cooking in the kitchen.

"So Laura, I take it you don't have a ride of your own." Vince asked her while he watching something in the kitchen. Laura had a feeling he fancied the pants off Mia!

"No. I've only been in California for a month or so. In fact, I've only been in the US for that long. I used to live in Ireland." She laughed at the astounded looks on their faces.

"Wow, you're a long way from home. Why'd you move?" Letty asked, now suddenly interested in the conversation.

"I just needed to get away from things….plus, I've always wanted to come to Cali so I just packed up and left!"

"Nice!" Letty now seemed happy enough to talk to her.

"So are you gunna get a car?" Vince asked her expectantly

"Well, I'm broke at the minute so I think it'll be a while till I can afford one."

"If you had the choice of any car what would you choose?" Vince asked her staring intensely at Mia as she walked in and out of the room.

"A Nissan Skyline, for sure!"

Leon grinned, "You like mine then?"

"Yeah, they really turn me on…" Laura grinned at Leon and the team laughed at his expression.

Laura noticed Dom looked deep in thought. Just then Mia called them into the kitchen for eats.

As Mia and her talked later that night the subject turned to ex boyfriends. Both of them seemed sore at the subject but kept talking anyway. Laura told her about her ex Jerry, who had been an ass. She didn't go into detail because it was still hard for her to even think about the things he did to her… Mia told her about an ex she had that turned out to be a cop and left her with a broken heart. That explained a lot to Laura. They were both happy to change the subject and Mia suddenly surprised her by shouting at the whole group to get their attention.

"Hey you guys, listen up. Dom and I were talking in the kitchen earlier and we both think it's a good idea if we let Laura stay here. It'd only be for a while of course, until she found a place of her own, but there's a room up there not being used and she's having to live in a motel at the mo. What do you think?" she directed this question at Laura.

Of course she was gobsmaked and had trouble speaking, "But…I…You….you don't even know me…"

"Well we've established you're not a cop and even if you were we haven't anything to hide now so we trust you to stay." Mia looked excited at the idea and Laura couldn't say no.

"Ok, I will. Thanks!" Laura replied as she thought about Mia saying they had nothing to hide _now_. What did they have to hide before?

Dom grinned at her as the rest of the group returned to what they had been doing before the announcement. Letty saw this and gave Dom the dirtiest look before stomping out of the room. Dom rolled his eyes and chased after her.

Her and Mia drove out to the motel later that night to collect Laura's stuff and Laura dropped into the club to say she wouldn't be back. The manager seemed very unhappy and was still shouting things at her as she left.

"Phsyco…."Laura muttered as she got into the car.

Mia just laughed and drove off. The rest of the journey back they talked about how much fun they would have together and Laura couldn't help but think that Mia and her could end up inseperable.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7-

The rest of the week was spent settling in with the group. Laura loved her job and living with the team was great. Friday arrived and as they all sat around the garage on their lunch break Dom made a decision.

"So, you may not have a ride yet but I was thinking you should definitely come with us to races tonight… What do ya say?"

Laura had been waiting for this all week. All she had heard from the rest of the group was how great races were and that it gave you a real buzz, especially if the cops showed,

"Yeah, totally."

The rest of the team smiled and that was the subject dropped.

Laura seemed to spend most of each day working close with Leon, which was totally fine with her! Later on as they finished working on a Civic Leon started telling her how to 'watch herself' at the races. He seemed worried some guy would 'try something'. Laura smiled into herself, this was the Leon she had come to know, he always worried about her. Only the other day some guy had come into the garage and tried to hit on her. She politely refused the guys offer but he wouldn't take no for an answer. Leon ended up telling the guy to fuck off. That didn't go down well and they ended up rolling around the pavement. Dom had to pull Leon off the guy… it had been funny to watch.

"Its Ok Leon, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself…"

Leon grinned at her, "Oh really…"

Their little flirt fest was interrupted by Dom telling them to hurry up and packed their shit away. Laura rode home with Leon, surprise surprise, and as soon as they got in Mia dragged her upstairs to get ready.

"But it's only half seven Mia, we have loadsa time to get ready!"

Mia looked at her with a shocked expression, "I'm telling ya girl, its never too early to get ready…"

Letty was pissing herself as Laura let herself be pulled up the stairs and into Mia's room.

Three hours later Laura and Mia walked downstairs and Laura had to giggle at the teams' expressions. Dom was trying hard not to laugh at Vince and Leon, whose mouths where nearly touching the floor. Laura had to admit both her and Mia looked good. It may have taken hours but she might even have passed as being pretty. Laura was wearing a black leather mini skirt, a red bikini top with a black net top over it and black boots. She looked a little like Letty…

"Holy shit…"Leon said as Laura stood beside him, "You look sexy girl."

She could feel her face burn with embarrassment as the whole team stared at her.

"Yeah, Mia can really work miracles…" Dom said as he smiled at her. Laura just rolled her eyes and laughed as Mia followed him out the door and hit him hard on his arm.

She had planned to turn up to races with Mia but before she could stop him Leon dragged her over to his car and opened the passenger door. Laura looked over to Mia and Mia just smiled and nodded She got into the yellow Skyline and Leon ran round to the drivers' side. As he got in Laura just stared at him, a knowing smile on her face.

"Your mine tonight sexy," he said as he winked at her.

The way there was spent in silence as Laura prepared herself for whatever was to come. Leon kept looking over at her and grinning. He seemed pretty happy at the fact she was in his car, about to arrive with him…

Laura was overwhelmed as they followed Dom in through a crowd of people, in between two warehouses. All she could hear was loud music and a lot of very excited people shouting and laughing. The cars that were parked along the sides where impressive. Leon stopped the car and she watched Dom get out of his car and immediately be surrounded by loads of fans. Letty stood on the sidelines, looking jealous as Dom put his arm around some random skank. Leon got out of the car and Laura took this as her que. As she steeped out of the skyline she noticed how many people were staring at her, questioning looks on their faces. She knew what they were thinking…

"Who's the new girl? How did she get in with the Torretos? Is she with Leon?

As if to answer the last question Leon came over and put his arm around her. He seemed proud as he led her over to Dom, who was busy talking with a Latino guy.

"Two G buy in, winner takes all." Dom said to three guys who were standing around him, "Hector keeps the money."

They all handed the Latino guy their money and headed to their cars. The rest of the crowd saw this as their time to do the same and the whole crowd split.

"Look out for her…" Dom said to Leon who nodded his head in return.

Leon took her back to his car and Laura couldn't help but feel confused. Why were they going somewhere else now? Why couldn't they race here? Leon looked at her confused expression and laughed,

"We're goin to another street, we can't race here, no room."

Laura just nodded and waited. Five minutes later they pulled up at the end of a small street that led onto a very long wide road. Leon blocked the entrance to the main road and switched on the monitor sitting on his dash,

"I wait till its all clear on the monitors and then they race. I hear any cops are headed this way then we split."

Laura nodded again, unable to speak. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her as she saw the four cars line up on down the main street. The whole atmosphere was so amazing she could only watch in awe.

"When you get a ride of your own it'll be better," Leon said watching her intensely, "You can race yourself then, if you want to that is. And the buzz is unreal when you turned up in your own tuned up car. And we'll make yours really awesome…"

She smiled and realised how much she actually liked Leon. He must have been thinking the same thing because he leant towards her ready to kiss her…

"Leon, we all good dawg?" a voice shouted through the walkie-talkie.

Leon sat back and rolled his eyes as he spoke into the speaker, "Yeah dawg, we're good to go…"

Laura jumped out of the car and sat on the hood. She saw two girls spraying a line on the road, just in front of the four cars. Then another girl stood in the middle of the line, raised her arms and dropped them. The cars sped off. Dom was in first place, a Civic in second, a Skyline in third and a Supra in fourth. Laura watched as they sped past her and Dom finished the winner. It was all over so quickly and Laura turned and looked at Leon, trying to suppress the excitement she knew she was showing. Leon smiled at her, knowing full well how she felt. He remembered his first race, he had reacted exactly the same way.

Leons expression quickly turned to one of distress and he waved at her to get in the car,

"Shit, we got cops cops cops, lets move…" he shouted into the walkie-talkie and with that he sped off. Laura's heart was beating so fast and so hard she thought it would pop out of her chest. She watched as the rest of the crowd broke up and people rushed to their cars. She then noticed the first cop car turn a corner onto the street, closely followed by a hoard of others. Leon drove with precision, weaving in and out of traffic and losing two cop cars that were on his tail.

Twenty minutes later they pulled up outside the house and Laura had to slow her breathing down before Leon noticed and laughed at her. The whole experience had been so mind blowing and before she knew it she jumped over the handbrake, on top of Leon and kissed him. His hands ran down her sides and settled on her ass as she stopped for breath. She was breathing heavily and she could tell Leon was as turned on as she was. At that moment Dom, followed by a load of other cars, pulled up outside the house. As a crowd of people went inside and thumping music started up, Laura opened the drivers door and slid out, much to Leons disappointment. She laughed at his expression and even more when she looked south. She'd got him very excited…

"Too soon Leon," she said grinning," And not in your damn car."

She laughed as he nodded and sat there, not sure how to get out and go inside with a hard on. He decided to jumped out of the car run inside and upstairs into the bathroom. Laura laughed as she followed him inside and closed the door behind her. Were Leon and her now an item? She had no idea, but she knew for sure she'd have a hard time keeping herself from pouncing on him again!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8-

Laura sat with Mia for the rest of the night watching as Dom and Letty fought, as Vince stared not at but through Mia and as Jesse talked to a girl who looked twice his age! Leon sat beside her, sometimes holding her hand, other times having his arm round her waste. He certainly felt comfortable being close with her, but did she feel comfortable with it all? Sure, earlier she had pounced on him but now that she had calmed down she wasn't so sure she was ready. Could she really go back to being a girlfriend?

"You look deep in thought. What's up?" Mia looked at her quizzically.

"I'm Ok." Laura smiled and she noticed Leons arm tighten around her waste.

Why was he so protective of her? He hardly knew her!

"I'm goin' to bed. I'm tired."

As she got up to leave Leon looked a little surprised,

"You want me to come up too?" he grinned at her.

"No, I'm ok. I need sleep is all."

With that she left and went to her room. As she sat on her bed she though of the reasons she left home. Jerry had ruined her opinion of men, and her ability to get close to a guy. Could she ever get past all that had happened?

An hour past and she couldn't sleep. It might have been the loud music or the fact that she kept having flashbacks of her and Jerry. She got up and went to the bathroom. Just before she opened the door she heard loud voices in Mia's room. She went to the door and heard Mia crying and someone talking to her. She burst in only to find Vince holding Mia.

"Oh, sorry, I heard crying and…well, you know…"

Laura left, slightly embarrassed. Maybe Mia was finally getting close to Vince. He did really like her after all.

Laura went to the loo and then returned to bed. In two weeks it was her birthday. She hadn't told anyone yet. She wasn't sure if they should know…people always felt obliged to get presents. Finally she drifted into a restless sleep.

Laura woke at half six to find the sheets sticking to her. She recalled the dreams, or nightmares, she had had through the whole night and cringed. She hated that her memories were being forced back into her head because she was getting close to a guy.

She had a quick shower and put on baggy shorts and a white T-shirt. She would go out for a jog, it had always cleared her head at home.

Just as she was about to go out the door Mia came down the stairs.

"Hey Laura. Come talk to me while I get a drink."

Laura obediently followed her into the kitchen and sat down. She knew she'd be a while, Mia made a big deal out of everything.

"So, what was up last night?"

"Nothing, I just…." She looked at the unconvinced look on Mias face and realised shed have to tell her the truth.

"Getting close to Leon is great and all but it just drags up old memories…you know, of past relationships and all. "

Mia just looked at her as if to say 'carry on'.

"Mainly memories about me and Jerry. He…he wasn't the greatest boyfriend and I guess I'm weird about relationships because of him…"

Mia nodded her head and though for a minute,

"Why was he not a good boyfriend? What did he do wrong?"

Laura sat for a minute. Should she go the short way or the long way? She looked at Mias understanding expression and decided it would be better to have someone who knew everything.

"He raped me all the time and beat me up a few times too. He used to make me feel worthless, so I wouldn't leave him. After about six months of shit I finally left him. It totally messed me up I guess its taking me a while to deal with it all. It's one of the reasons I left home."

Mia sat dumbfounded, "I can't believe it! He…how…why? Did you go to the police?"

"No. I was ashamed I guess and I just wanted to forget and move on. When I dumped him he wouldn't leave me alone, always calling me and practically stalking me. So I decided to pack up and leave. Also, things at home have never been the best so I didn't really have anything to hold me there. I finished my A Levels and split."

Mia nodded and smiled, "I'm glad you told me Laura. And I hope you know you're safe here. Dom would never let anyone hurt you, neither would Leon. He really likes you. If you told him all this he would understand and ease off a bit."

"No! I don't want Leon to know. I don't want anyone to know. Please swear to me you won't tell anyone."

"Ok, no problem, I swear." They sat for a while in silence until Mia decided to get up, " I'm away for another hours sleep. See you later hun."

Mia hugged her, before heading for the stairs.

"Oh, Mia…what was all that about last night with you? You were crying…"

Mia turned round and smiled, "I saw a car, an orange Supra that reminded me of my ex. I guess we both had memories come flooding back last night." With that Mia jogged up the stairs and left Laura thinking. Her and Mia didn't seem to have much luck with men.

She went out and jogged round the block, only to return to a busy house. Everyone was up and they seemed to be in a good mood. She noticed, as she sat down to a plate full of pancakes, that Vince and Mia looked very close. Mia was sitting on Vince's knee and the whole group seemed surprised at their open affection.

"Hey hun. You go out running?" Leon smiled as she stuffed a mouthful of pancake and syrup in her mouth.

"Yeah. Clears my head."

She took a few more mouthfuls and then ran upstairs. She took another shower and pulled on a pair of black jeans, her black converse and a pink halterneck top. As she returned to the kitchen she found Mia and Dom deep in conversation. They stopped talking and looked up at her.

"When's your birthday Laura?" Mia asked innocently.

Laura looked form Mia to Dom and back again, "Two weeks, why?"

"Seriously? That's great timing!"

What did Mia mean?

"Good timing for what?"

Dom looked daggers at Mia.

"Nothing," Mia mumbled and she picked up her jacket, "by the way Laura, I'm not gunna be able to look after the store today so would you mind doing it for me?"

"Sure. I'll go out to it now."

Mia handed her the stores keys and Laura hopped out the door. The store was only two blocks away so she was fine walking. Fresh air would do her good anyway. As she turned out of the drive and onto the pavement she saw Leon staring blankly at her through the window. She knew she'd either have to wise up and get the hell over Jerry or she'd have to tell him everything so he understood. She just wasn't sure which one to go with yet.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9- 

Laura opened the shop and set everything up as she had been taught. This was how her weeks would be spent now. In the garage Monday to Friday and in the shop with Mia most weekends. She didn't mind though, it kept her busy.

Two hours passed with only a few customers coming in and out. It felt strange being there alone. She couldn't help but feel fidgety. By lunchtime she found herself pacing around the till. She finally sat down with a performance magazine. As she sat reading an article on NOS and turbo charged engines she heard someone come up behind her and settle on a seat at the counter.

"Be with you in two secs." Laura said as she finished off the article.

She turned around only to come face to face with a really hot guy,

"Hey, what can I get you?"

"You still serve sandwiches?"

"Yeah."

"I'll have tuna on white, no crust."

"No problem."

As Laura stood and made the sandwich she felt the guys eyes burn into her back. She turned round and handed him the plate, for some reason feeling very shy. He smiled at her and his blue eyes twinkled. He was certainly a looker.

"You from around here?" Laura asked, keen to find out anything she could about this mysterious stranger.

"Used to be. I've been travelling for a while. Decided it was time to come back though. Can you tell me somethin'?"

"Sure…"

"Is this place still owned by the Torettos…Dom Toretto?"

"Uh, yeah. You know him?"

"We're old friends."

The guy finished his sandwich and sat for a minute staring into space and then back at her,

"You been working here long?"

"No, only a couple of weeks really. Mia spends most of her time here though, I usually work at the garage."

The guy seemed to flinch a little at the mention of Mia. He ran his hand through his scraggy blonde hair and sighed.

"It was nice meeting you. Thanks for the sandwich." He smiled at her and held onto hergaze for a long time. She finally looked away. He made her feel like a teenager with a huge crush!

"Sure no problem. That'll be four ninety seven."

He threw some notes onto the counter and got up.

"What's your name?" he asked as he put his wallet back in his pocket.

"Laura. Yours?"

He stood for a minute as if he was deciding whether or not to tell her.

"Brian. And do me a favour, don't tell any of them I called, ok? I wanna surprise Dom sometime. I'll maybe drop into the garage on Monday."

"No problem."

Laura watched as he walked out of the shop, across the road and got into a silver Skyline with blue vinyls. She definitely wanted to be in the garage when he showed up…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10-

Monday morning came and Laura spent the whole day waiting for the guy to turn up. Leon noticed her distraction and gave her concerned looks. She had been busting to tell Mia about the stranger on Saturday but kept her promise and didn't say anything.

The day passed, slowly, and by 4.30 he still hadn't turned up. Just as she started packing up the tools she had been using to fix an Evo's exhaust system, Dom came into the garage and said there was a late delivery on it's way. Laura looked around the group to see if they were surprised or not, Laura didn't really know what a late delivery meant. Tools, a car, some parts?

Outside the garage a tow truck pulled up and reversed into the shop. On the back of it was a very beat up Skyline. The bodywork and paint was terrible, in fact it was non-existent and all the windows were smashed in. It looked as if the car had exploded! The team rolled the Skyline down a ramp onto the garage floor as Laura watched with interest. Dom spent a few minutes talking with the truck driver and the rest of the group silently inspected the car, except for Mia, who was grinning strangely at her.

The truck driver got into the truck and drove off leaving the garage in silence.

"So Laura, this is gunna be some job! You up for it…you'll get help of course? It's a little side project I wanna do..." Dom smiled at her waiting for her reply.

"Uh yeah, it'll be cool to design it and all ourselves…who's it for?"

"Mia looked as if she was busting to say something but she kept quiet, looking at Dom, waiting for him to reply.

"You," he finally said.

Laura's mouth dropped open. Her own Skyline, there was no way she could afford the work!

"But Dom…I cant afford it all, and I don't have an American license!"

Dom just grinned again, "I can get you a license. And don't worry about the costs. When the car is done Leon will get you practising your driving and then we'll get you racing. Then I can make some money off your ass. That's how you'll repay me. Ok?"

"I...uh, yeah. Thanks, this is so cool…"

As Laura stared at the car and then at the team as they all smiled at her she couldn't help but feel so much affection towards them all. They took her in, gave her a job and a place to live and now they were giving her a car that she could do up exactly the way she wanted. It was all so unreal!

Leon drove her home while the rest of the team closed up shop. He kept going to say something and then holding back and it was beginning to annoy her. She knew what it was he wanted to talk about though. She just didn't know what to say to him…

"So babes…you Ok? You seem a little…off with me lately. Did I do sumthin' to annoy you?"

She looked over at him and saw how hurt he looked, as if he were bracing himself for something. He actually thought it was his fault! Laura immediately felt guilty,

"No Leon! You haven't done anythin' wrong. You're great…I just…I dunno…" she trailed off, not sure how to explain herself.

"You know you can tell me anythin'…" he looked at her and she could see how badly he wanted her to open up.

"Look, I'm just not good with relationships…they scare me and I really like you but I guess I just need to get used to the fact…the fact that…"

"That you're my girl?" He smiled reassuringly at her.

"Yeah, that I'm your girl."

"No problem baby, next time you're freakin' about somethin' just tell me. I'll always be Ok with anythin' you tell me…"

"Yeah…"

"So you're definitely my girl then?" Leon looked over, an excited expression lighting up his eyes.

"I guess I am."

He grinned, acting as if he had just won a gold medal, "I'm a lucky mother fu…"

"Don't even say it…" Laura laughed as he blushed a little. He knew she hated him using that expression.

Laura smiled as she watched him drive, a look of contentment on his face. She relaxed her shoulders, which she realised, had been tensed up. Mia was right, Leon was a great guy. It was then that Laura decided she would tell him everything,

"Leon, I think it's maybe time I told you about Jerry…"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11- 

Two weeks passed and as Laura's birthday got closer she couldn't help but feel excited. Over the past fortnight they had all helped her work on the Skyline. All the performance parts were installed and they were now finishing the paint job. She had chosen black metallic paint and she was going to apply silver flame vinyl around the bodykit. She also had pulsing white neon's around the bottom of the car and gorgeous 18" alloys. She was really proud of how it had turned out and couldn't wait for her first test run.

Laura had given up waiting for the mysterious guy to turn up. He hadn't shown up at either the store or the garage since she spoke to him that Saturday and she truthfully wasn't bothered, she was too busy with her car! She had decided against telling either Mia or Dom though, just in case he did decide to show up again.

"Hey Laura, you lookin' forward to Friday?" Vince asked her while he helped her strip off the masking tape around the front vents.

"Yeah, I can't wait!"

Dom had told her that since the car would be ready by Friday and since she would be accustom to driving it by then she could turn up at races in it. She wasn't going to try and race for a while yet, considering she hadn't driven _anything_ in over 6 months. She was hardly going to be ready for a high spead, 10 second race!

"Well, that's the paint done, now that its dry how 'bout we apply the vinyls…" 

Laura jumped up and down excitedly,

"Totally, that means it'll be done by the end of today!"

Mia helped her apply the silver flames around the base of the Skyline and also put some decals on the front and back windscreens. By 6.30 the car stood finished on the ramp and Laura was dying to get in and drive it. As she ran her hand along the hood and stared with disbelief at the beauty of it, she had to pinch herself. Was this car really hers? Dom came out from the back and smiled as he watched her touch the car as if it were alive.

"I guess you wanna get out on the road now? Leon, you wanna do the honours?" Dom watched as her eyes lit up at the mention of driving.

Leon grinned and nodded. Laura giggled excitedly and got into the drivers seat.

"Now Laura, you may stall the first few times when you try to pull off. It's a lot different to a normal car…"

Laura started the engine and immediately her breath caught in her throat as she heard the purr of the engine. All other sounds seemed to fade away as she put her hand on the gear stick and held her foot in on the clutch. She noticed the clutch was heavier than the one in her VW Golf she had driven at home. She could hear Leon in the background telling her to remember to put the clutch back in when it stalled…she didn't listen, she knew she wouldn't need his advice. She put the car into first and let the clutch out steady… the Skyline skidded away from the garage and as she turned onto the road and changed into second and then third she heard the team whistling and shouting from behind her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the look of disbelief on Leon's face.

As she changed up the gears, letting the sound of the engine guide her, she sped up the highway, along the coast. Leon stayed silent beside her. She knew he was shocked at her abilityat driving so well,

"Hey you're very quiet over there…surprised are we?" she grinned at him as they stopped at a red light.

"Yeah! You said you haven't driven in months. And most people stall when they first drive a performance car, especially a Skyline…the clutch is way heavier than usual. You did good though girl, I'm well impressed."

"Thanks. My Dad always told me I had a talent when it came to driving, he said I was a natural…"

"He was right. Tell you what…it's a quarter mile from these lights to the next set. I'll time you, see what sorta time you get…you up for that?"

"Sure…"

Leon got his cell phone out so he could use the stopwatch. Laura zoned out, listening to the steady rumble of the engine. She put it into first and steadied her breathing as she waited for the lights to change. Two seconds later they were off. She moved up the gears with ease and could feel her heart pounding as she reached 140mph. They passed the second set of lights and Laura slowed up and pulled into a car park beside the beach. She looked over at Leon to see him grinning at her. He understood what she was feeling. No matter how many times you raced the buzz was always the same, always as intense.

Laura's breathing was fast and heavy and she was still so worked up after the rush she had just felt that she couldn't help but lean over and kiss Leon. He was surprised but held her tight as she pushed her lips onto his. Her kiss was rough and needy and all she could think about was ripping his clothes off. She knew by the way he was returning her kiss and gripping her sides that he felt the same way. Finally Leon gently pushed her away,

"I need to breathe…" he said as he looked at her, grinning, his eyes full of lust. As they sat in silence, trying to calm themselves and stop themselves from pouncing on each other again Laura started to laugh,

"Oh god…I need to race on Friday…"

Leon looked at her; she could see the doubt in his face,

"Laura you're good, but I don't thinkyou're ready yet."

She felta little hurtbut wasn't going to back down,

"Look, it's Wednesday. We've got two days before Friday night. I can practise loads. I'm ready Leon. I may not win but the only person who is sure they're going to win is Dom!"

He sat looking at her for a minute, deep in thought. He knew she was aware of the risks. She had been to three races with them now and knew what she was getting herself into,

"Ok. I'll talk to Dom about it. You do realise he'll wanna take you out to see how good you are himself and that's sometimes scarier than racing!"

"I don't care Leon, I wanna do this… it'd be a great birthday present…another one…" she smiled, knowing he couldn't resist her plea.

He nodded his head and smiled,

"Well then, we've got a couple of busy days ahead of us."

As they drove back home Laura couldn't stop thinking how great Friday would be. Not only was it her nineteenth birthday but it would be the first time she'd be racing. Life just kept getting better and better…


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12- 

Friday finally arrived and as Laura packed up her tools in the garage she looked at the clock. It read 7 o' clock. The day had taken forever to pass by and now she was even having to finish late at work! Of course getting home earlier wouldn't have meant anything, she'd still have to wait for the rest of the team to get ready. They normally left for races at about 10, which meant Laura had to wait another three hours for her moment.

Dom had taken her out the day before to test her abilities and agreed she was already a skilled driver. He kept asking her if she definitely hadn't raced at home. Everytime she replied No he would shake his head and mutter something. Leon had told him she got 10 seconds in the Skyline on Wednesday when she raced the quarter mile stretch. Dom of course made her do the stretch again and she got the same time. He made Leon take her out a few more times to make sure it wasn't just fluke, he had even given them Thursday off work. Now she felt even more confident driving her car. In fact, when she wasn't in it, she permanently felt as if a part of her was missing!

Now as she drove home, Leon in the passenger seat enjoying the fact he wasn't the one that had to take her places anymore, she listened to the engine and felt at ease. The only place she could truly unwind now was in the Skyline. He looked over at her, smiling at the happy expression on her face and she caught him in the act,

"What are you smiling at now Mr!"

He laughed, "Nothing. You always glow when you're driving, did you know that?"

"No, but thanks for filling me in!"

Ever since she told Leon about her past with Jerry he had become a lot more patient with her. Her was never the one to lean in and kiss her, which actually annoyed her more than anything. Before telling him he had seemed too keen on sleeping with her, whereas now he would hardly kiss her! She did feel a lot better around him now though, now that she knew he understood her mood swings. Even though she was sure she really fancied him she didn't know if she loved him. Maybe it was too soon to be thinking about love… it all seemed to go downhill in her relationships when love came into the picture!

They arrived home, the rest of the team not far behind and as usual Laura, Mia and Letty went upstairs to get ready. Laura was sick of wearing skirts so she decided to wear a black pair of low cut combats, her black converse and a white halterneck top. She put in a huge pair of silver hoop earrings and of course put her face on! She kept her long hair down, mainly because both Mia and Letty preferred it that way. They sat downstairs playing the PS2 until Dom told them all it was time to go at 10.10. Laura got into her car and reversed out onto the road. She let everyone go in front of her and she filed in behind Mia.

As soon as they arrived at the usual meeting place Laura could see how many stares her car was getting. The expressions on everyone's face told her she wasn't the only one mesmerised by it. She stopped behind all her friends and got out of the car. As usual most people practically feel over each other to get to Dom but surprisingly a few people came over to her. One girl told her the car 'rocked'. She had to laugh at them all, they practically drooled over the Skyline!

Leon made his way over to her and the four or five people surrounding her walked off.

"Like all the attention baby?" he grinned, knowing full well she did.

"Yeah, it's great."

Dom called her over and told her a friend of his was organising a race somewhere near the coast and that she should go for that one, to ease herself in. She agreed straight away, happy for any opportunity.

She watched Dom racing and as usual he won. After a lot of the crowd calmed down the whole team took Laura out to the coast. There was a lot less people here and she could tell the other three racers weren't very experienced. This eased her nerves a little. As she stood talking to the team a small black guy came over and whispered something to Dom. He told the guy to sort it out and that was that. As she watched the small dude disappear into a crowd or people she looked at Dom questioningly.

"Fourth racer pulled out. He needs to find a replacement before you can race."

Laura nodded and spent the next few minutes getting ready for the race. Dom saw the guy wave over and nod, meaning a replacement was on his way so she got into her car and drove over to the start line. The other two racers sat beside her on the left and there was a space waiting for the other racer on her right.

A few minutes later she heard the crowd cheer and she heard a car pull up beside her. She almost had a heart attack when she looked over to see the silver Skyline with blue vinyls. He put his window down a little and smiled at her. When she gave him a worried look he just winked and put his black tinted window back up. She hoped to God he wasn't good!

She zoned out as she watched a girl move onto the middle of the start line and raise her hands. The girls hands seemed to drop in slow motion. Laura skidded off, the two racers on her left already far behind and the silver Skyline just ahead of her. She shifted the gears as best she could but could feel the clutch sticking a few times. She was well ahead of the two racers on her left but just couldn't get ahead of the Skyline on her right.

"He's good…" she murmured as she past the finish line in second place.

The crowd immediately surrounded her and the winner and as she got out of her car she could see Dom marching over. He made his way straight over to the small black guy he'd been talking with earlier and shoved him pretty herd. Laura left the crowd and the silver Skyline behind her and ran over to Dom.

"Dom, what are you doing? I lost…it's not his fault…"

"You said these racers were all shit, that they only came for a bit of a laugh!" Dom shouted at the guy, who was trying his best to disappear, "So how exactly did that fucker, who is obviously a lot better than anyone here get into the race?"

The small guy just cowered below Dom and muttered a reply.

"You cheated her out of a race that would have definitely been hers. She's not ready to race anyone that good yet!" he shouted into the guys face.

This made Laura feel embarrassed and furious at Dom for overreacting and talking about her like she was a shit racer. She knew the other guy was one of the best she had ever seen so she wasn't upset she lost, why couldn't Dom let it go!

"Dom the buy in was nothing, just let it go," she said as she tried to ease him off the poor guy who seemed more willing to die than be where he was now.

Dom shrugged her off and was deciding what to do when Laura heard someone come through the crowd and stop beside her. She looked up to be met by those blue eyes that had haunted her dreams for quite a few nights now. He put his finger to his lips to hush her.

There were a few minutes silence until he decided to finally speak,

"Dom, it's my fault she lost. I just thought it'd be a nice way to…uh… say hello."

Dom turned around and instead of a smile or nice greeting, which was what Laura was expecting, he punched the stranger smack on the nose.

"What the fuck are you doing here Brian!"

Brian held his nose for a minute and then spoke up, obviously not sure what to say,

"Look Dom, I was sick of running so I did a job for the cops, got my freedom back and knew I needed to clear things up here. With you and Mia and the whole damn team!"

Dom stood for a minute, his face bright red and if it had've been possible there would have been steam coming out of his ears!

"Let's go talk Brian…"

Dom and Brian walked off up the street and Laura's attention settled on Mia. Her face displayed a mixture of pain and tearstains. She rushed over to her,

"What is it Mia?"

Mia sniffed a few times as Laura looked round Letty, Vince, Jesse and Leon for an explanation. Finally Mia mumbled a reply,

"That's him Laura. The guy who turned out to be a cop and broke my heart…"

She burst into tears again. The whole group looked dumbfounded as Mia got into her Acura and sped off up the coast. What the hell had Laura got involved in? Suddenly whatever feelings she hadfelt for this Brian guy wentnumb. She couldn't like him...he was completly off limits...right?


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13- 

Laura stood with the rest of the team, not sure what to say or do. Dom and Brian finally returned and by the look on Doms face they must have sorted something out.

"Dom, Mia split…" Letty said while giving Brian a look that Laura remembered only too well.

Doms anger flared up again and he dragged Brian over to his silver Skyline, pushed him into the passenger seat, got himself into the drivers seat and sped off, leaving the rest of the team feeling very confused.

"Why is that fucker back? All he did last time was cause trouble!" Vince said as he paced up and down, obviously worrying about Mia.

"Yeah, but he also saved your life dawg!" Leon said, "Come on Laura I'll take you home and explain everything on the way."

He ushered her away from the group and then realised they both had separate cars.

"Shit, I forgot! Follow me and we can park somewhere and talk."

"K." All she could do was agree, her head was spinning!

Was Brian still a cop? Was he back for good? What exactly happened? Was he going to get back with Mia? Would he spend his time with the team like he seemed to have done before? Her head felt as if it was about to explode! And to think every time she thought about him she had butterflies! This immediately made her feel guilty…she already had a boyfriend, she was following him into a deserted car park right now.

Leon parked his car, waited for her to park and then got out of his car and into hers.

"So this is gunna take a while…" he said as he looked her straight in the eye and began his story.

He told her about Brian, who had come into the group over 18 months ago, how he nearly beat Dom in a race, how he earned Doms respect, how he was accepted by the team and even worked for Dom. He told her how he fell for Mia and even had the chance to take her out one night, how the team was involved in some shit that included hijacking trucks and stealing their contents and how Brian almost got in on it. He described the whole incident involving the trucker with the shotgun, how Vince nearly died and Brian saved him. He told her how it was then they found out he was an undercover cop. He described why Brian and Dom went after Jonny Tran because they shot Jesse for running away after losing the Jetta to Jonny in a race. He told her how Brian and Dom raced a quarter mile stretch and how Dom was in an accident, how Brian gave him the keys to his own car so he could get away and how the whole team then split to Mexico. He told her that since that day they hadn't seen or heard from Brian 'till now and how there would be a lot to sort out before Brian could ever be trusted again.

Once Leon had finished Laura sat for a few minutes taking everything in. How could she have been unaware of so much! And why did Mia not tell her! She then decided to tell Leon about the visit she had had from Brian at the shop that Saturday and how she had swore not to say anything.

Leon seemed a little shocked at fist,

"So all he did was eat a sandwich, ask a few questions and leave?"

"Yeah. What else could he do?"

Leon nodded and smiled,

"Well, at least he's finally showed up and is trying to make things right."

"Yeah, it musta taken a lot of guts for him to come back, after everything that went down!"

"Yeah. But I think it killed him losing Doms respect, that meant a lot to him…and I think he also needs to make it right with Mia. Any guy would need to make it right if they played with some girls heart like that…"

Laura smiled, as usual Leon's sweet side shone through. But she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as she, once again, thought of Brian. Ever since that day she had first met him she couldn't get those eyes or that smile out of her head. Leon must have noticed the agitated look on her face,

"You OK?"

"Uh huh…totally…" she knew guilt spilt out of her eyes as she looked at him.

"He didn't hit on you or anything did he?" Leon suddenly looked very angry and jealous.

"No Leon!"

He looked at her, doubt in his eyes. Of course Laura tried to ignore the little voice in her head but couldn't,_ he did Laura, he stared at you, made eye contact and didn't look away. He smiled and flirted like so many guys have done with you in the store. And the thing is Laura, you loved it. You're glad you had that little moment with him…_

She didn't understand what was running through her head. She had Leon, she was happy with Leon, so why was it that she felt so jealous of Mia and all she could think about was Brian? She didn't even know him and yet she felt drawn to him every time she saw him.

Leon woke her out of her thoughts by yawning and opening the door,

"It's late baby, we should get back. Do you feel a little less confused now?"

She nodded her head and smiled reassuringly when she saw yet another doubtful look in his eyes,

"Thanks hun."

Leon nodded and shut the door. He returned to his car and as Laura followed him back to the house she couldn't help but think about what Brian was doing now. Did he sort it out with Mia? Is he back with her? Is she the reason he came back? Little did she know her questions would be answered as soon as they got home.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14- 

As Laura and Leon pulled up in the driveway Laura noticed the silver Skyline was there too, along with Mia's Acura. She suddenly felt panicked! What would she say or do? She made her way into the house with Leon _very_ close behind. Letty looked up and smiled at them both and as Laura looked round she couldn't see Mia, Dom or Brian. As if she knew what Laura had been thinking Letty spoke up,

"Mia is up in her room. Said she needed sleep. Dom and Brian went back to the coast to pick up Doms car. They'll be back soon."

Laura settled on the sofa beside her and Leon almost sat on top of her. He seemed a little on edge. She gave him a strange look as if to say 'what's up'. All he did was smile and turn to watch Letty on the PS2.

Half an hour later Dom arrived back with Brian and the whole room, which had become very loud, quietened down until you could have heard a pin drop. Leon and Letty both looked at Brian as if he were the plague and Laura tried her best not to act strange, she knew Leon would notice straight away.

"Want a beer?" Dom asked Brian and he led him into the kitchen. Laura looked around the group and she knew they wanted answers as much as she did, maybe even more. She decided to go up to see Mia, she knew she would have answers. She got up and headed to the stairs only to have Leon jump up after her and grab her arm,

"Where you goin'?" he asked her looking really nervous.

"Leon, let go of my arm, you're hurting me!"

He dropped her arm and as he noticed the estranged looks he was getting from his friends his face went bright red.

"Sorry…" he mumbled.

"I'm goin' to the bathroom, if it's any of your business!"

This was the first time Leon had made her truly angry and she didn't like it. As she made her way up the stairs she saw him watching her with so much suspicion. What was his god damn problem? Was he this possesive with all his girlfriends?

She knocked Mia's door and was greeted bye a cheery but tired hello.

"Hey hun, you ok?" Laura looked at her friend, knowing she didn't look Ok. She sat on the bed beside her.

"Oh, I'm just tired is all. Long night… you know…"

"Uh huh. You wanna talk about anything?"

Mia must have seen the desperation on Laura's face because she laughed,

"Sure. What do you wanna know?"

"Everything really."

"Ok, well, when I drove off I went to the beach along the highway. Dom knew that's where he'd find me and sure enough ten minutes after I arrived so did he…with Brian."

"And that wasn't Ok…"

"Well, after all that had happened I didn't really wanna see Brian but it was better that he came cuz we sorted a lot out. He told me he was sorry, explained things a little so I wasn't as mad and then said he'd really like it if we could be friends at least."

Laura picked up on the _at least _part and felt a little jealous. They would probably end up dating again.

Mia sat for a minute thinking and then said something that made Laura's heart skip a beat,

"I loved Brian at one point but after all that's happened that love is gone. I'll be friends with him but I could never think like that about him again. In fact the thought makes me feel a little sick…" she giggled at this last part as if she'd made a joke.

Laura smiled, but not at the supposed joke,

"So if he started dating someone else you would be Ok with that?"

"Yeah, I think I would. Plus, me and Vince are kinda, well…getting along well."

Laura laughed. She knew something had happened between them. Mia finished telling Laura about how Dom had agreed to give Brian a job in the garage again, just to help him until he had enough cash to set up his own or get another job. She said Brian had found a place just two blocks away that he was planning to buy and that in a while she thought it would end up being the same as it was last year, with Brian a part of the team again.

As Laura walked back downstairs she couldn't help but grin. Maybe Brian wasn't off limits after all… As soon as she saw Leon smiling at her as she walked into the living room her heart sunk. She couldn't hurt him. She knew now she didn't and wouldn't love him, but she really cared about him. How would she break up with him without hurting him? Truly the only reason she would end things between them would be for Brian…but she didn't know Brian at all yet and may regret breaking up with Leon. Things were just way too confusing and she spent the rest of the night sitting on the sofa in a daze, trying her best to ignore Leon's worried looks and Brian's stare. Letty noticed she was in turmoil and at nearly midnight she took her out the back, handed her a beer and sat on the step, waiting for her to talk. When Laura didn't say anything Letty started the conversation off,

"So girl, what's up? What did you and Mia talk about for so long?"

"How did you know I went up to Mia, I said I was going to the bathroom…"

Letty grinned,

"No one pees for that long, unless they're a dude. And I know you and Mia tell each other everything."

Laura smiled. Letty knew a lot more about everyone than she liked to admit.

"Well, she just explained how Brian would be living a few blocks from here, how he'd be working in the garage and how him and her were never going to get back together. She's prepared to be his friend but nothing more. She actually seems quite happy with the set up she has with Vince…"

Letty laughed and looked in towards the kitchen,

"I knew those two were up to something. And it's about time, Vince has been in love with her since 5th grade! So, you like Brain? You think he seems dead on?"

Letty was trying her best not to smile when she asked this.

"Yeah he seems…nice." Laura knew Letty could see right through her façade.

"What are you going to do about Leon? I like you Laura, but I love Leon. You better not break his heart…although it may be worse if you stay with him. That'd be making him think he had you…when he doesn't anymore…am I right?"

Laura nodded, feeling a little ashamed. Letty just glared at her for a minute and then did something Laura thought she'd never see, she walked over and hugged her!

"Look, I know it's a hard thing, trying to control your heart. You cant help who you fall for and who you don't…I know that better than anyone…but just remember Brian is a complicated guy and you don't know him for shit. I think the best thing you could do right now is let Leon down easy, give it a while before you make any decisions about who you want to be with and get to know Brian better. Don't go chasing him, because when you do catch him you may not like what you get."

Even Mia had never given Laura such good advice, and she hugged Letty again until she had to pull away clutching her ribs.

"Damn girl, don't go breaking me!"

Laura laughed a happy laugh. She was glad Letty had finally accepted her as a friend. As they both returned to the living room she noticed Leon had left,

"Where'd Leon go?" she looked at Dom and he shrugged.

Surprisingly Brian spoke up,

"I think I heard a car skid out of the drive…coulda been him."

Sure enough when she looked out the window his Skyline, which had been parked on the curb, was gone.

"Dom where could he have went?" Laura asked him impatiently. What type of a friend was Dom anyway when he didn't even realise Leon had left.

"I dunno…"

That was the final straw. Laura snatched the PS2 controller out of his hand and threw it on the sofa beside him.

"Dom, where could he have gone! I need to talk to him!"

Doms face filled with anger and then, when Letty gave him a look of warning, he sighed and calmed down a little,

"Laura I dunno, I'm not his fucking keeper. He's only went for a drive, he'll be back later, talk to him then or tomorrow."

She sighed and stared out the window. She realised Brian's eyes were on her and as she went towards the stairs she looked back in time to catch his glare. He just looked straight into her eyes and she had to stop herself from smiling at him. She looked away and went upstairs,

"I'm away to bed, see you guys tomorrow…"

The team groaned a response, apart from Brian who just kept staring at her. She could feel his eyes pierce through her and when she got to the top step she looked down and could just about see him. His eyes were still on her and he smiled when she looked at him. She thought for a second and then decided shecouldnt flirt so openly with Brian...not yet anyway. She was still 'Leons girl'. She walked into her room, sighedand collapsed on the bed.Things were certainly going to get interesting around here…


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15- 

Laura woke to the sounds she heard every morning in the house. Most of the team were already up, making a racket in the kitchen, even though it was still only 7am. She got up and made her way downstairs, happy to see Leon sitting in the kitchen looking his normal self. She was handed a slice of toast by Letty who kept giving her strange looks. When no one was looking Letty whispered over the table to her,

"Talk to him Laura. Don't put it off."

She was only just up and Letty was already pushing her to do the one thing she didn't want to do. Leon smiled at her and her heat strings pulled. What would she say, how exactly would she break it to him? As usual he sensed something was up and rubbed her arm affectionately.

"You Ok baby?"

"Uh, yeah. Could we maybe go for a drive later? We need to… talk."

Leon caught on this was not a good thing and motioned her to follow him out into the living room. She unwillingly followed him and sat on the couch.

"So… what do we need to talk about?" Leon shuffled on his feet. Laura knew he was aware of what was coming, he just wasn't saying so.

"Look, I love you so much Leon…you know I do. But with all that's went on in my past and the fact you can be a little possessive, in fact scarily so, I think it would be best if…" she trailed off. Leon looked as though he had been punched in the stomach.

"But Laura, we have something good. We can work through your problems…and mine. I know I can be paranoid and possessive but it's only because I'm so scared of losing you…"

Laura didn't know how to respond…it was because of his paranoia that he was losing her. She tried to push the fact that her feelings for Brian were the main reason for her breaking up with him out of her head,

"Leon, if you act this possessive with every girl you meet then no wonder they haven't lasted. I'm really sorry but we aren't meant to be together. I really do love you…but more like a brother or a friend. Please don't hate me for this…"

He stood in silence for what seemed like a lifetime, staring at the floor. Laura thought she saw a tear fall from his face but couldn't be sure.

"I don't think I can just let you go Laura…I really thought we had something. Please don't tell me there's someone else…."

Laura flinched. There wasn't really anyone else…

"No Leon. There's no one else. I'm just not ready for a relationship yet. I'm still coming to terms with the last one I had…I know I led you on a bit, what with me pouncing on you and all, but that was just spur of the moment stuff. Will you be Ok? Promise me you won't do anything stupid Leon. You're a great guy…you'll find someone else who really deserves you."

He sighed and looked her straight in the eye,

"I'll live Laura. I always do."

He walked out of the room, grabbed his jacket and keys and muttered something about going for a drive. As Laura listened to his tires screech on the tarmac she realised her own tears had been falling. The confusion and guilt that was choking her felt like the worst feeling she had ever experienced and right on que Letty came in to soothe her as she cried. Was she a heartless bitch for ditching Leon like that? Would she regret it in the end? Where her motives all wrong? Did she really lie when she told him there was no one else?

As she calmed down a little she realised the rest of the house had gone quiet. Letty stroked her back until she decided to get up and see where everyone was. Laura walked into the kitchen to find Mia and Vince sitting, talking quietly at the table. They quietened down when they noticed her and Mia smiled at her reassuringly,

"Don't worry about Leon, he'll be Ok. He'll go for a long drive and come back his old self again. It's a pity you two didn't last though…you looked good together." Vince nudged Mia as she said the last part.

Laura just smiled, wiped her eyes with a tissue and went upstairs. She guessed Dom, Brian and Jesse had gone early to the garage and she was glad they hadn't witnessed her break up. She had a quick shower and pulled on a pair of faded jeans and a black tank top. She pulled her hair into a bun and went downstairs to find the place empty. Mia had left a note on the fridge saying her, Letty and Vince had followed the others out to the garage and she had left her the keys to the store, hoping she would go and open it for her. It may have been a Saturday but the team was always working.

Laura drove out to the store and opened it a little later than the actual opening time. She sat on the stool at the counter and watched the morning go by. She was so consumed by her thoughts she hardly noticed the few customers she had come in and out. At midday, as she cleaned the counter top, she saw a familiar face walk up to the till. For the first time ever she wasn't happy to see him.

"Hey" Brian said as he perched on the edge of a stool, "You Ok? Mia told me about the split…tough huh?"

"Yeah…but I'd rather not talk about it."

"Sure, no problem. I just thought I'd come down and keep you company…it gets a little lonely over here."

"A little?" she laughed. Maybe she was glad to see him. It _was_ pretty boring when you were here all day with only the coffee maker and a magazine as company.

"So you like your car then? Dom told me how hard you worked on her…she looks really good. You do the paint job yourself?"

Laura smiled at the appropriate change of subject, "Yeah…well Vince helped a little but I did most of it. Mia helped me with the Vinyl's though…could never quite get the hang of them… Yours isn't bad either. How long you had her?"

He looked over at his silver Skyline with pride and smiled,

"Not long. Did all the work myself and it took forever. She's been all over the country with me…won a lot of races too."

"Nice. I heard you've been all over the place. What made you come back?"

"Did Mia tell you what all happened?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I needed to sort it all out with Dom and I needed Mia's forgiveness most of all. But mainly because, for the short time I lived out here and worked with the team, I felt at home. I wanted that again… it's no fun running when you've got nowhere to go and you're leaving all you care about behind."

Laura nodded and smiled as she thought about how trusting Brian was. He didn't seem to have any problem telling her all this.

"So what about you? You know all about my past and all my secrets. Why did you come all the way over to LA? What were you running from?"

"It's a really long story and it's pretty boring…"

"I've got time…"

"Ok…well, I ran from things I couldn't change. My parents, my boyfriend, my life in general. I felt really trapped and I always wanted to come to California so I just…packed and left home!"

"Cool. What was so wrong with your life in Ireland though?"

"My friends and parents didn't seem to care about me and my boyfriend was…violent. Also, I didn't wanna live the life I was expected to lead…Uni and a boring, monotonous job. No thanks. So I decided to come out here and look for work. Seemed a good idea then and I'm not regretting it so far."

He smiled and nodded. Laura's heart flipped as he once again caught her gaze with those intense blue eyes. He had a habit of doing that with her…

"Well, I'm glad you came out here. I wouldn't have met you if you had stayed in Ireland…"

She laughed, "Yeah…like it makes a difference though. I'm just another girl breaking hearts in the Torretto house!"

Brian found this statement quite amusing, "Well, I doubt Leon is the only guy trying hard to keep you out of his head…" he grinned at her and her breath caught in her throat.

"Oh really…"

Just as she thought she might die of happiness the phone rang. She jogged into the office at the back and picked up the reciever,

"Hello, Torrettos…"

"Hey Laura, it's Vince. Would you send Brian back over here? He said he'd only be a few minutes and it's been nearly an hour. Tell him another car has just been booked in and it's on it's way over so he'll have his hands full. In fact, Mia is on her way over to the store so when she gets there she can take over and you can come to the garage…we need all the hands we can get today…"

"Ok, see you soon Vince. I'll tell Brian you're missing him…"

She hung up just as Vince started to protest. She was still laughing as she told Brian to get back to the garage.

"You're coming over too, when Mia gets here?"

"Yup," she replied, happy he wanted her there.

"Cool… oh, by the way Laura…there was something else I needed to ask you…"

"Shoot."

"Are you really not ready for a relationship? Or were you just not ready for one with Leon?"

"That's a pretty personal question…"

He smiled shyly at her and she giggled,

"I'm not sure. I guess if I found the right guy I'd be ready for one…but Leon just wasn't the right guy. Why do you ask?"

He just grinned at her and shrugged. He walked off towards his car. Mia arrived just as he opened his drivers door and Laura ran out to meet her.

"Hey girl, keys are in the drawer…I'll see you later."

Mia nodded in reply and Laura walked over to her Skyline, which was parked behind Brian's. He was standing watching her with a thoughtful expression on his face. He suddenly grinned,

"How's about we make a little wager. I race you to the garage. If I win then I get to take you out some night, after Leon has cooled off of course. If you win then you get anything you want from me… What do ya say?"

Laura laughed, it was the most ridiculous wager she had ever been challenged to but she agreed to the terms and got into her car. She quickly started up and pulled off, just ahead of Brian. She weaved in and out of the traffic and was pleased at the fact she was able to hold first position. As she got closer to a set of red lights she slowed up a little. Surely he didn't expect her to go through a red light… She had slowed away down to 60mph when the lights turned green and Brian sped right past her.

"Damn it…"

A few seconds later she pulled up outside the garage to find Brian leaning on the hood of his car grinning.

"You cheater…how'd you know those lights would change…" she said as she got out of the car and headed over to him.

"I didn't…"

As they walked into the garage, joking and shamelessly flirting Laura didn't realise Leon was standing at the office door. She had only stopped laughing when suddenly a fist went flying at Brians face. When she realised it was Leon she tried to stop the inevitable but it was too late… Leon had split Brians lip and Brian was now in the process of pinning Leon against a Civic.

"What the fuck is your problem Brian. Every time you show up you always steal one of our women! What the fuck do you have that I don't!" Leon shouted into Brians face. He looked furious, like he could have killed Brian and when he looked over and caught Laura's eye she had to look away.

Dom came marching out and pulled Brian off Leon. This was a bad idea and Dom obviously hadn't realised it was Leon who had started it. Leon went flying at Brian again and luckily Vince pulled him back.

"Hey dawg…calm down…" Vince said as he held tightly onto Leon.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Dom looked around for an answer.

Leon spoke up, happy to drop Brian in it if he could, "That fucker…he's always stirrin' up shit."

Dom took in the situation and shook his head, "Brian, if you're gunna go after Laura next then try not to rub Leons fucking nose in it. And Leon, calm the fuck down…you don't own the girl…"

Dom marched back into his office and Leon pushed Vince off, swearing under his breath,

"So there's no one else Laura…" Leon said sarcastically as he stormed off to his car.

Laura looked around the group and immediately wanted hell to open up and swallow her whole. Letty just looked sorry for her but Vince and Jesse both looked as though they could have seriously hurt her and Brian.

"Laura you only just finished things with Leon…couldn't you have at least waited a while before…" Vince trailed off when he saw the hurt on Laura's face.

Laura didn't know what to do and she turned and ran outside. She looked around for a few minutes trying to stop the tears, which were now falling freely. She got into her Skyline and drove off, just in time to see Brian run out of the garage after her. Why did things always have to get so complicated…?


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16- 

Laura drove to the coast, the only one place she could calm herself down without intoxicating substances to help her along. She sat on a grassy hill along the beach and thought things through. Leon couldn't stay mad forever. Neither could anyone else who had formed the opinion she was a slut… And Brian would…what would Brian think or do? Would he back out of the whole thing now he knew how hard it would be? He obviously hadn't thought Leon would freak as bad as he did…or had he? As she listened to the soothing sounds of the ocean she heard a car pull into the car park behind her. She turned in time to see Leon get out of his yellow Skyline and come jogging down towards her.

"Oh great…" she muttered while getting up.

"No, sit, I need to talk to you." Leon pushed her back down and sat beside her.

He stayed silent for a moment, obviously planning how he would say what he had to say. Laura sat patiently; it was all she could give him.

"Ok. So I'm mad, I guess you know that. But I'm sorry I shot off like that. I probably overreacted… right?" he looked at her with pleading eyes. He obviously didn't want to believe there was anything between her and Brian.

"Leon, I won't deny Brian and I have a… spark. But nothing has happened or will happen between us. Not for a long while anyway. I told you before…I'm not ready yet."

Leon nodded and took a deep breath, "I think, for my good, and yours and Brian's… I might go away for a while. I have a friend in Mexico; he'll put me up for a few weeks... maybe more. I need to get away and if anything happens with you and Brian…which I think it will, then I don't wanna be here to see it. I can't guarantee I wouldn't kill him."

Laura was shocked. She knew he'd take it bad but not this bad. He couldn't just leave…of course, who was she to talk…

"But Le, I don't want you to leave…"

"Well, truthfully Laura I don't care what you want. I need a break from everything and everyone. I'm leaving now, today, I've already told Dom. I'll be back when I'm back. "

With that he got up and walked up the hill, leaving Laura on the verge of tears. She would never have thought she'd react like this to him leaving. She felt like he had just ripped her heart out and cut it into little pieces.

"Laura…" Leon called from the top of the hill, "I don't hate you for any of this…I love you. I think that's the problem…"

He disappeared into the car park and Laura listened as his car pulled out onto the highway and sped off into the distance. She remembered a time a week or so ago she thought life couldn't get any better. Now life couldn't get any worse…

She made her way back to the house. By now it was nearly 7pm and the rest of the team were already home. She walked into the living room, her head low and waited for whatever insults were to come. Instead Mia came right up and hugged her.

"Laura, I know things seem shit now but it'll be ok in a while. Le just took the break up harder than we thought he would...he'll be back in a few weeks though, I guarantee it."

Laura burst into tears and Mia led her upstairs. Laura took a quick look at the rest of the team who were all perched around the living room. Dom looked tired and pissed off, Jesse looked as though he felt sorry for her along with Letty and Vince. Brian was sitting at the end of the couch looking very uncomfortable. His lip was swollen and as Laura caught his eye he gave her a weak smile and looked back down at the floor. It was the first time she had ever seen the team so quiet.

"Laura…none of us blame you for Leon leaving…" Mia said as she led Laura into her room and sat her on the bed, "I know more than anyone, Brian has a pull that you just can't resist. Leon will get over it and he'll be back. We're all just sorry it had to blow up like this. But none of us are angry with you."

"I feel like a right bitch Mia, but what was I supposed to do? I couldn't get Brian out of my head ever since I met him that day in the store. I had to break it off with Leon, it wasn't fair to drag him along on false hopes…"

"I know. You did the right thing. You just need to take it slow with Brian. And when Leon comes back go easy on him. Don't flirt so openly…he's sensitive and it'll hurt him like hell."

"I know… it's all so hard Mia…it feels as bad as having Jerry hit me…"

Mia looked worried, "Seriously?"

"Almost…my heart has never felt so… so broken."

Mia sighed and hugged her again,

"Try to rest. You'll feel better in the morning."

Mia left her alone, and her thoughts came rushing back to haunt her.

"I can't think about this anymore…" she muttered as she went over to her CD player and put her Papa Roach album on. The familiar lyrics filled the room and she lay back on the bed listening to words that meant nothingyet everything to her…

_I'm dreamin' about tomorrow_

_And I'm thinkin' of yesterday_

_I consume myself in sorrow this moment in time is what I betray_

_I am searching for the answers_

_I look around sometimes I get sad_

'_Cause I don't know which way to go_

_I look around sometimes I get sad_

'_Cause my life's spinning out of control_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17- 

Nearly a week passed in the Torretto house and things slowly went back to normal. Of course everyone felt Leon's absence, especially Laura, but they accepted he needed time away. Friday finally arrived and as they got ready to go to races Laura heard Vince mutter things about it being weird going without Leon. The team may not have hated her for Leon leaving but they certainly weren't happy with her either.

"We all ready?" Dom looked around the sullen expressions and sighed, "let's go then."

They made their way to the normal meeting place and it was only until the crowd surrounded Dom and things got hyped that the team came out of their shells. No one could be pissed at races! Laura had arranged to race again, only this time she'd be racing in the city. As usual they watched as Dom raced and came first, winning yet another 6 Gs. The team, followed by hundreds of other cars, went to a second racing venue and Laura took in her surroundings. The road was smaller than the one Dom always raced on but it was still a lot more daunting than the first time she had raced. For a start there were hundreds more people here to watch and the racers she would be racing against had better cars. She wondered why Dom had entered her in a race that was harder to win. She hadn't even won her first one! Of course she wouldn't be racing Brian this time…

Mia gave her a quick good luck smile as Laura pulled up to the start line. She was racing against an Evo, an Impreza and a Civic. Her heart was thumping as the girl once again raised her arms and dropped them, signalling the beginning of the race. Laura pulled off with ease and immediately fell into first place. The other three racers were good but not good enough and Laura finished in first place. She slowed to a stop and jumped out of her car, screeching at the top of her lungs.

"That was unbelievable," she said as Dom came walking up to her smiling.

"Yeah, you've definitely got a lot of potential. You could end up as good as Brian."

She smiled as he handed her 3 Gs. She looked at the wad of notes and then handed them back to Dom,

"I'm supposed to be paying you back."

"Yeah, but you always keep your first win. Start paying me next week."

Dom walked off towards Letty and Laura admired the money in her hand…she had never held so much cash before and it felt great! Brian came over to her grinning,

"Feels good, huh?"

"Amazing…"

"So you wanna go somewhere…we can celebrate?"

"Uh…sure. Where did you have in mind?"

"It's a surprise…follow me."

She nodded, still grinning at how much she had won in only one night. She got back into her car, put the money in the glove compartment and followed Brian out of LA towards Santa Monica. She had to concentrate to be able to keep up with him. They eventually pulled up outside a small restaurant and Brian led her inside.

"Hey, I've booked a table for two…O'Connor." He said to a waiter at the door, while grinning to himself.

Laura looked at him with disbelief,

"You had a table booked? How'd you know I'd win, and what time we'd be coming…and if I'd even agree to come!"

Brian just laughed and stared at her for a minute before answering,

"I just knew you'd win…not many people can keep up with me the way you did last week. And I guess I was just hoping you'd agree to come. I _did_ win that bet anyway so you owe me this…"

She grinned as he sat down at the table they had been led to so he was facing her. The restaurant was full of couples glaring at each other over candle lit tables. Laura immediately felt out of place but kept a smile on her face so she didn't upset Brian, he had obviously gone to some bother to arrange this.

"So you weren't put off by Leon's…outburst?"

"Maybe a bit at first…but I couldn't get you out of my head all week. Every time…" he stopped, looking a little embarrassed.

"Every time what?"

"Every time I saw you my heart was in my throat…and every time you would brush past me my skin would tingle… I guess I've got it bad…"

Laura smiled and felt her checks go bright red. She couldn't believe he felt this way…exactly how she did. He reached over and touched her hand and she felt a bolt of electricity run through her… He just stared into her eyes for what seemed like a lifetime and Laura realised what people meant when they said they were on Cloud 9. The moment unfortunately had to end when a waiter came over to take their order.

An hour later they were finishing their food and Brian changed the subject to high school. He seemed to forget that she had really only left high school. He had graduated ten years before her. Their age difference suddenly struck her and Brian noticed she looked uneasy.

"What's up? Did you not like high school?"

"It was fine…I remember it well, I only left last year…"

Brian saw what she was getting at and frowned,

"You aren't weird about our age difference are you? It's nothing when your older…it doesn't make a difference."

She just smiled, not really sure how she felt about it. It didn't _really_ matter, although it did mean he had experienced a lot more than she had. In a lot of ways… and that thought made her a little uncomfortable. She put the subject to the back of her head and Brian once again changed the subject. They sat for another half an hour talking about their childhood, families and dreams. He definitely wanted to know everything about her. And she was glad she knew more about him. Everything he told her…about his friends he had when he was a kid growing up in Barstow, about his dreams he had since he was a kid, the shit he'd got into with his friend Roman Pierce…it all made her feel like she was a part of it all, it made her feel so much closer to him. She noticed how he acted so interested in everything she told him…he was probably feeling the same way she was.

They left the restaurant a little while later and as they walked into the cold Laura shivered. Brian took his jacket off and put it over her shoulders, rubbing her arms to try and warm her up.

"Thanks…"

"No problem."

She looked up at him and into those deep eyes. They looked as though there was a whole world in them and as she smiled he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. Her whole body tingled and her eyes fluttered. She felt a pang of guilt as she thought about Leon. He had wanted this with her…but she felt nothing like this when she kissed him. Brian was in a whole different league.

Brian was like her in that he couldn't stop smiling. They drove back to the house and were met by the usual loud music and drunken fans of Doms. Letty grinned at Laura as she made her way into the kitchen, Brian close behind her. She didn't mind him following her like a little puppy, but it had annoyed her like hell when Leon had done it. Why did she keep thinking about him anyway…?

"It's always the same here on a Friday night." Brian said as he handed her a drink.

"I know, I don't see how it can be fun every time. It gets so repetitive after a while."

She caught Brian's eye and knew he wanted to leave as much as she did.

"You wanna go back out? We could go for a drive or something…"

Brian smiled and nodded and they made their way back outside. They only took the one car this time, Laura insisted they take hers…just so she could drive. Brian seemed content to sit in the passenger seat and stare at her.

"So, you glad I took you out then?"

Laura smiled, "Definitely."

"Do I have to win a bet to be able to take you out again?"

"No…you could just ask me this time."

He laughed, "Well then, would you go out with me again?"

"I'll think about it…"

She laughed at the disappointed look on his face. He smiled when he realised she was joking. They drove for a little while longer, talking about the team mostly. He seemed keen to avoid the subject of him and Mia and Laura was fine with that. It meant he knew not to ask her about Leon either. She pulled into the car park she usually stopped in along the coast.

"So, how long did it take for Letty to accept you?" he asked as he flicked through the radio stations and settled on an acoustic version of 'Colds' song 'End of the World'.

"A while. But she's a great person when you get to know her."

He nodded and smiled at her,

"Of course, who wouldn't love you?"

"Uh, a lot of people don't like me that much at the minute. Vince and Jesse both blame me for Leon leaving…and I guess that's justified but I wish they'd forgive me already. I don't like having them angry at me."

"Don't worry about them. They'll get over it. And I doubt Jesse is angry at you…"

"Mm…I dunno."

"Leon was crazy for leaving…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if I hada been him I wouldn't have given up so easily. I woulda stayed and fought for you."

Laura laughed. She couldn't believe Brian kept saying things like that, she felt like the luckiest girl on the planet. She couldn't stop wondering why she was so special, why did he like her over all the other girls he could have…over Mia? Brian smiled, as usual he knew he was softening her up. She realised that at times like this she would do anything for him…_absolutely_ anything.

Just as Brian leaned in to kiss her again an engine revved behind them as it pulled into the car park. They both looked round and saw a Black Honda S2000 stop right behind the car, blocking it in.

"What the…" Brian muttered as he saw three Chinese guys get out of the car.

"Oh fuck," he said as he looked over at Laura, panic in his eyes.

Brian looked around the car park for a way to escape as the three guys slowly walked over to the car. Two of them went to Brian's door and one went to Laura's. They all had semi-automatics in their hands and Laura suddenly felt very sick.

"Brian, what's goin' on?" she asked, her voice shaking as she stared at the guy at her door.

"Laura, we need to get out of here. Now…!"

She went to start the car, planning to drive straight through the fence in front of her, over the grass and onto the highway. As she reached to turn the key the guy at her door knocked her window and wagged his finger. She heard one of the guys at Brian's door speak,

"If you have any sense Brian, and if you care at all for the girl, you'll get out of the car."

Brian looked over at Laura and at the guy at her door and then back at the guy who had just spoke. He slowly nodded his head and opened the door. As soon as he stepped out of the car the two guys dragged him onto the ground and started beating the crap out of him.

"What the hell are you doing! Get the fuck off him!"

Laura climbed over the seats and was able to catch them off guard and push one onto the ground. Before she could do anything else though the guy who had been guarding her door ran round and grabbed her. She watched in horror as Brian rolled around the ground, blood pouring out of his mouth and a hundred cuts over his body. The two guys kept kicking him until Laura was sure every bone in his body would be broken. She didn't even realise how much she was screaming. The tears streamed down her face as a lifetime passed and the two guys finally stepped away, gulping for breath. Brian lay lifeless on the ground and Laura couldn't even tell if he was breathing.

"Tell him this isn't the last of it," one of the guys said to Laura, "He'll wish he hadn't touched my brother by the time I'm finished with him."

With that the two guys jogged over to the S2000 and called for the guy who was clutching her. She only just realised it wasn't a gun that was pressing into the base of her back as he rubbed against her and then threw her to the ground.

"You sick fuck!" she shouted as he got into the car grinning. As they drove off he winked at her and Laura felt sick to the stomach.

She crawled over to Brian, not able to stop the sobs escaping from her throat.

"Brian, Brian please wake up. Oh God, what do I do!"

She looked around only to see empty roads and sidewalks. She realised her tires had been slashed. They must have done it when the guy was still holding her and the other two had supposedly ran back to their car. She got up and ran over to the Skyline, opening the glove box to retrieve her phone. She dialled 911 as quickly as she could and was just about able to tell the operator the details. She couldn't stop crying and the woman could hardly make her out. She hung up and ran back over to Brian, dropped down beside him and put his head onto her knees.

"Brian…please," she sobbed through gritted teeth, "you can't die. Please… you can't leave me. I love you…"

She heard sirens in the background but she didn't look up as the ambulance pulled into the car park. She kept her eyes on Brian the whole time, stroking his hair, making sure his chest kept rising and falling. She prayed to God that he would be ok and as the paramedics put him on a stretcher and carried him onto the ambulance she quietly swore the bastards who did this wouldn't get away with it… She would quite happily kill all three of them.


	18. Chapter 18

_Ok-so a lot of you guys didn't like the fact Laura confessed her love for Brian so early in the relationship but you shall see that even she realises she jumped the gun a bit. Keep reviewing and if any mistakes come up let me know…oh and there was a part in Chapter 15 were Mia is supposed to be in the store but I've got her in the garage too, and we all know she can't be in two places at once, so I've went back and fixed that. Keep reading and reviewing people. Enjoy…_

Chapter 18-

Laura sat beside Brian as the ambulance sped up the highway towards LA. She watched as the paramedics dressed his cuts and injected him with something. She couldn't believe what had just happened, it was like she was outside her own body, floating above everyone, watching. It wasn't fair, she and Brian had got on so well, really clicked, and this had to happen. She sat, surprisingly calm now, and thought about the guys and how they had just kept kicking Brian, it didn't affect them at all, they didn't even blink an eyelid! It just showed how many people had a conscience now days.

She thought about what she had said to Brian as she had sat there on the cold tarmac and watched him slowly deteriorate. _I love you… _Was it true? Could she really love him so quickly? Maybe it was way too early to be thinking about that. Sure, when she was around him it felt like nothing she had ever experienced before, but they had really only known each other a week, and even then she had only had a few meaningful conversations with him. Of course she always did this…when she felt something for a guy she'd automatically think it was love…but she'd never actually felt these feelings before, they were so intense, ten times stronger than the ones she'd had with Leon or even Jerry.

As usual her confusion got the better of her and she pushed all thoughts to the back of her head. The ambulance pulled up outside the hospital and the paramedics rushed Brian in through some double doors and into a theatre of some kind.

"Sorry you can't come in here." A nurse pushed her back and closed the door in her face.

She stood in shock as she watched the team of doctors and nurses in the room apply sticky pads to Brian's chest. She didn't even realise she was crying again, until a nurse walked over and handed her a tissue.

"He'll be all right hun. Don't you be worrying now…he's in good hands."

Laura smiled weakly and nodded at the nurse. It was then that she realised Dom and the rest of the team didn't even know this had happened. She found it hard to pull herself away from the window looking into the theatre. She ran outside and dialled Dom's cell number,

"Hey, what's up…"

"Dom, it's Laura…I…" she burst into tears again. She couldn't stop herself.

"What is it…what's happened?"

"Dom you all need to get down to the hospital, in the city, it's Brian…" she trailed off. She couldn't bring herself to tell him what had happened. Every time she thought about it, it felt like she was reliving it.

"Laura, what about Brian! Calm the fuck down and talk to me girl…"

"Look please…just get down here."

With that she hung up and ran back inside towards the room Brian had been in. When she realised he wasn't there anymore she panicked. All sorts ran through her mind as she looked around in a daze. She could feel herself hyperventilate. She felt a hand on her shoulder,

"It's Ok hunny, calm down, he's been taken to a ward upstairs. He needs observed but he'll pull through." It was the nurse that had comforted her earlier.

Laura followed the nurse to the lift and listened carefully as she explained where the ward was.

"Thanks…" Laura managed to mumble as the lift doors closed.

It seemed to take forever for the lift to reach the fourth floor and she luckily found Brian's room no problem. She walked over to his bed quietly and saw he was sleeping. Was he unconscious? In a coma? Sedated? Just then a doctor followed her in.

"You can't be in here now miss…he's heavily sedated to stop any pain he may be in."

"I'm his girlfriend, I came in with him…"

"Oh, well in that case you can stay…but I must warn you when he comes round he'll be very disorientated. He has a few broken ribs, and heavy bruising to his abdomen. His left arm is also broken in three places. Nothing that won't heal but it'll take a while and he'll be in a lot of pain for a long time."

Laura stood, trying to take it all in. At least he wasn't dying… The doctor left and Laura sat quietly beside the bed watching Brian as he breathed steadily. She didn't take her eyes off his chest, rising and falling. She held onto the sight, scared that it would stop if she looked away.

About twenty minutes later Dom came racing into the room closely followed by the rest of the team. As soon as she saw them a huge weight lifted from her and she burst into tears again. Mia hugged her and Dom looked impatient,

"What happened?" he spat out as he looked at Brian and anger filled his eyes.

"He…we…" Laura tried to calm herself, she had to tell him, "we were in the car park…down the coast, when a black Honda S2000 pulled up behind us and blocked us in. Three guys got out…all Chinese or Japanese, and they made Brian get out of the car. They…" she burst into tears again. It was just too hard to think about.

Laura took a deep breath and finished the story, "They dragged him out of the car and started kicking him. I tried to help…I tried to stop them but one of them held me back. I was screaming for help...but there wasn't anyone around…not one person. They finally stopped. I thought he was dead. As they ran off one of them said Brian would regret touching his brother or something like that. I didn't have a clue what he was on about… they just drove off and left us Dom. They left Brian for dead…"

Laura felt her throat seize up again and her eyes fill with fresh tears. She silently cried as she watched to see what Dom would do. He stood for what seemed like forever, staring at Brian, then at her. She could see that the rest of the team were as angry as he was. Laura suddenly filled with anger as she thought about the whole incident in a new light,

"I'll kill them Dom. I'll kill all three of them. And I won't look over my shoulder…I'll leave them for dead…just like they did with Brian…and I won't look back. They can't get away with it Dom…they won't, I swear it…"

Dom looked at her and nodded, "I know. But not yet. I'll sort something out. They'll pay Laura…but right now we all need to concentrate on Brian. He has to get through this."

They all nodded and that's when the doctor Laura had spoken to earlier came waltzing in,

"I'm sorry, but you can't all be in here. It's only close family or friends and there are too many in at once anyway. If some of you could leave and come bac…" the doctor trailed off as Dom looked round and gave him the most intimidating look Laura had ever witnessed.

The doctor sighed impatiently and walked out of the room shaking his head. Laura looked back round at Brian, realising she had taken her eyes from him. She panicked as she watched for him to take a breath…finally he did. She noticed he was breathing very slowly and she wondered how he could live on so little oxygen. The rest of the team settled on seats and on the floor around the room and no one spoke. There was nothing to say… Brian was sick…hurt… and no one could do anything to make him better. This thought brought a tightness to Laura's heart and she fought for control of her emotions. She couldn't cry…not again. She had done enough crying for all of them.

Laura sat awake the whole night watching for any sign that Brian might wake. The rest of the team snored quietly around the room as nurses came in and out checking his vitals and that his drip was working fine. She could feel her eyes drooping as the sun began to rise and she got up to stretch. She walked over to the window and watched the huge orange glow of the sun rise over the horizon. A new day… she couldn't understand how the rest of the world could carry on like everything was ok. She wanted the whole world to stop…to see what had happened to Brian and to help. She wanted the whole world to search for the guys that did this and to kill them. All her morals on taking someone else's life didn't exist anymore.

She heard movement behind her and looked round to see Brian grinning at her. He winced at some pain she could not feel and she rushed over to him,

"Oh God Brian…" was all she managed to say before the tears ran down her face again. He watched her as she cried. Her sight may have been blurry but she kept her eyes pinned to Brian's the whole time. He looked as though he could have cried too but the pain must have been too much for him to bear tears as well.

"It's ok Laura…" he whispered as she held on to his hand as if the world was about to end, "I'll be Ok. But I do have one request…"

"What?"

"That we don't go to deserted car parks on our dates anymore."

She laughed and dried her eyes. He could always manage a joke.

Dom came up beside her and smiled down at Brian,

"I'll second that… You Ok man? You had us all worried for a while. Just think of the fun we can have when you get outa here. Those Trans won't know what's hit them…"

Brian nodded and winced again, "We tried to get away. But they threatened to hurt her…" Brian looked at Laura, a new kind of pain filling his eyes, "It's a small price to pay."

Dom nodded and it took a while for Laura to realise what he had meant. Her heart filled with something she had only felt a few times before. She smiled at Brian. She probably owed him her life. If he hadn't have got out of the car they would have shot her. Brian had known what would happen when he opened his door…but he did it anyway.

"Once you're feeling up to it man we'll pay them a little visit."

Brian nodded at Dom and closed his eyes. Laura realised he had fallen back to sleep. Dom held her shoulder for a minute and then went back to where he was sitting. The team certainly weren't planning on going anywhere…and neither was she. It didn't matter how long it took for Brian to get better…she would be here the whole time, waiting…and then things would get interesting.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19- 

Two weeks passed before the hospital would release Brian. The bruising on his face, arm and abdomen was terrible; he looked like a horror picture! Now, as Laura sat in the back seat of Letty's car with him, she couldn't help but look over at him every two seconds. Every time they went over a bump he would hold his breath, scrunch up his face and squeeze her hand a little harder. She felt so sorry for him but knew there was nothing she could do. It killed her to watch him suffer for so long. She knew he wanted revenge as much as she did, maybe even more, but it would have to wait.

He caught her eye as the drove up the drive to the house and smiled reassuringly. It's all he seemed to do lately. Laura returned the smile and stroked his arm,

"You Ok baby? You wanna go upstairs and rest?"

He grinned, "Sure. You wanna come up too…?"

She laughed. No matter how much pain he was in he always took the opportunity to make her laugh. He was full of cheesy comments…and he knew she loved them.

"I'll take you up…but I'm not gunna stay with you. I'm sick of havin' to fight you off me…" she laughed again at the forlorn look on his face.

She got out of the car and made her way round to his door. She tried to help him out but as usual he ignored her outstretched hand. He had too much pride to accept anyone's help. As she followed him into the house the rest of the team met them. They were all glad to have Brian back home and Mia seemed more than happy to spend an eternity hugging him. Vince handed Brian a beer but he shook his head,

"Can't man. I'm on meds…"

Vince frowned, "So what…it won't do you any harm."

Brian thought for a minute, shrugged his shoulders and grabbed the bottle.

"Don't even think about it…you're goin' to bed. The doc told you to take it easy…" Laura grabbed the beer and led him upstairs, giving Vince a very agitated look.

Vince was still grinning as Laura led Brian into his room. She watched as he lay on the bed, wincing again as he clutched his ribcage. She sighed. What would it take for him to just be him again? No cuts…no broken bones…no bruises… He needed a miracle.

"I'll come up later…when you're rested a bit. K?

"Hold on a mo. Come over here."

Laura grinned, knowing full well what he was thinking, but followed his orders anyway. She sat beside him and he leaned forward and kissed her. It was a long, passionate kiss, one she was getting very accustom to. Her skin fluttered as he pulled away and glared at her,

"Thanks…for everything. I couldn't have got through all this without you."

"Don't be stupid. I didn't do anything…"

"You didn't leave me once, Laura. You stayed in that room with me for two weeks! God, you just about left for the toilet or to shower…and I'm really grateful for that."

She giggled nervously, "It's Ok. It was no problem…I wanted to be there."

He smiled, "God…where _were_ you for the past, like… decade?"

"Uh…in Ireland."

Brian laughed, "Do you feel at home here?"

"Yeah actually, I do. Do _you_?"

"Yeah of course. I guess I'd prefer it though if the Tran's weren't around though. It makes me nervous…the fact that they're still out there…and so are you. Promise me something?"

"Sure…"

"Promise you won't go out alone… even when you're driving…just until we get stuff sorted. And don't go out there looking for them either…"

Laura frowned, "Brian, I cant just become house bound because they're still out there. And they're always gunna be there anyway. Even if you do get rid of some of them, scare them or whatever…there will still be more. I can't hide Brian…I won't."

He sighed, "I knew you'd say something like that…"

She kissed him lightly on the lips, "I'll be fine. I swear I'll be careful and I won't go looking for trouble. Now rest and stop worrying so much…"

Brian nodded and she left the room and made her way downstairs. She hadn't actually realised what she said was true. No matter how much they wanted to get back at the Tran's there would always be more of them. Truthfully, they would always be in danger…always have to watch their backs. It wasn't a nice thought.

"Hey girl. You wanna come out with me…for a drive or something? We could go get some food or somethin'. It'll take your mind off things…" Mia looked at her expectantly.

Laura could see the rest of the team waiting intently for her answer and she suddenly realised they were trying to get her out of the way,

"What are you all up to? Why do you want me gone?"

Mia looked innocent but she could see Vince and Letty grin. Letty turned to Dom,

"Look Dom, it's not fair leavin' her outa this. She deserves to be in on it. She's too damn smart to fall for some cheesy 'lets go for a ride' ploy anyway."

Laura looked around the team for an explanation, her eyes falling on Dom,

"What the hell are you up to Dom?"

He sighed impatiently and gave Letty an overpowering look, "Laura it's not a good idea for you to come with us. I don't know if you can take care of yourself like these guys can. You might just get in the way…"

Laura felt the anger rise in her, "You were gunna go after them… weren't you? Without me! This is my fucking fight Dom! There is absolutely no fucking way you can leave me here while you go off and… I can't believe this. If it wasn't for Letty speakin' up you would have left me here!"

Dom saw the anger in her eyes and realised he had started something,

"Look…Brian ask me not to bring you along…he's worried you'll get…"

Laura cut him off, "This isn't up to Brian. It's up to me!"

She could feel the rage ripple through her body and before she could stop herself she flung herself at Dom. She swung a punch at him but Vince pounced on her,

"Wow there girl. Don't be like that! We were just lookin' out for ya…"

Laura felt her fury subside for a second and she realised what she had done. What was her problem! This was her family…and she was going hostile on them!

"Fuck…I'm so sorry Dom…I just…I need to do this. I can take care of myself. I can't let you guys go out and do this when it was Brian and I they attacked. Brian should be in on this too."

Dom looked surprised and a little impressed at her outburst. He stood for a minute staring at her before speaking,

"It'll take months for him to recover Laura. He agrees we should go pay them a visit _now_. And he didn't want you there in case you got hurt. I'm only respectin' his wishes…but I see where you're comin' from. If you need to come then you should come."

Laura nodded and she could feel her breathing return to normal,

"Listen I'm really sorry about that Dom…I don't know what came over to me…"

"Don't worry about it…it proves you have enough rage in you for something like this…you'll need to swing a couple of good punches at these guys tonight…you definitely up for it?"

She nodded and Dom grinned at her, holding her glare for a little too long. Letty sighed impatiently,

"So lets go already!"

Letty pushed her, Dom, Vince and Jesse out the door. Mia said she'd stay and keep an eye on Brian (which worried Laura more than she liked) and Dom didn't want her to go anyway.

"It would be handy to have Leon here right now…he was always good to have around in a punch up…" Vince muttered towards Dom.

Dom nodded, "Well, that's why Hector and a few of his guys are meeting us at the garage. We'll probably need all the back up we can get…"

Laura suddenly felt worried…were there going to be enough of them? She got into the back of Vince's car with Letty and Jesse, and Dom sat in the passenger's seat. Vince pulled out of the drive and as they accelerated away Laura looked up at Brian's bedroom window. She saw him staring out after her, an anxious look on his face and she realised she had promised him she wouldn't go looking for trouble. It was too late now though…she had to do this…he would understand. What made her more uneasy was the fact that Mia walked up to the window and stood beside him, stroking his shoulder… Was Mia telling the truth when she said she didn't love Brian anymore? Lately Laura had begun to doubt this very much… especially since the attack.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20- 

Vince raced over to the garage were Hector and three of his men were already waiting. Dom ushered thefour of them out of the car as soon as they pulled up beside Hector.

"Ok guys, we have to do this quick and sensible. No one gets carried away!" Dom directed this last comment at Laura.

She was startled when Dom handed each one of them a gun. Jesse looked the strangest holding his…he still looked like a kid!

"Just in case…" Dom said, "you can't be too careful. What's gonna happen is we sneak into their garage and wait in different locations until they go in for their daily maintenance jobs. We've had the place scoped out and normally Jonny's brother and three other guys spend about an hour in the garage…although there are a few more men who tend to hang around outside. We hurt the guys in there…and anyone else who might decide to show up, leave them with a little warning and then we split. Got it? No one decides to play hero… no ones goes their own way…we stick close to each other…use the guns if we really need to."

Laura nodded, along with the seven other people listening closely to Dom's instructions,

"Ok then let's go. When we split we may have some guys follow us…if so then we have to lose them on the streets before meeting back here ok? If anyone needs help that's what the walkie-talkies are for… and remember guys…as soon as the shit hits the fan we have to look out for each other…no one gets left behind or hurt. Is that clear?"

"No problem homes…now lets do this thing!" Hector shouted enthusiastically.

They all return to the two cars and made their way over to the Tran domain, Hector following Vince as they hid the cars in an alleyway behind the garage. Laura stayed silent and moved fast as she followed Dom and the rest of the team over to the building, up onto the roof and through some rooftop skylights. She dropped down onto the floor of the garage and could feel her heart pumping in her chest. Dom positioned everyone around the shop and made sure she was positioned near him. She could tell he was uneasy with her being there…after all, he wasn't sure just how capable she was. She knew she'd be fine though, the adrenaline would get her through.

They all stayed low and silent as the garage doors opened. Laura heard Dom murmur something like 'just on time'. She waited until the door closed again and the four men were trapped inside. Dom then made his move, along with the rest of the group. There were nine of them against four Chinese guys so Laura wasn't too intimidated. She headed straight for who she remembered to be Jonny's brother, along with Dom. He saw her just as he punched the guy and gestured for her to dig in. She kicked the guy in the stomach while he rolled about groaning. Funny how it reminded her of what they did to Brian…he had been helpless too. She kept kicking and felt the adrenaline take over,

"Come on you bastard! Get up and fight! It's not fuckin' pleasant when it's the other way round is it!"

She dragged him up off the floor and pinned him against a civic. She punched his face over and over again until it, along with her fist, was covered in blood. She had no idea how good it would feel! She let go of him and watched him drop to the ground. He was unconscious. She took this as an opportunity to get the other guy that had held her back that night. He had _really_ enjoyed the whole fiasco and she wanted nothing more than to show him just how enjoyable it could be…

She looked around the garage and saw how serious the whole thing was getting. Another two Chinese guys had come in and joined the skirmish. It was actually quite confusing and she tried her best to push her way through a few people to get to the guy she was looking for. She noticed Jesse seemed to be handling himself very well, maybe he only looked like a kid… Letty was having a lot of fun with the guy Laura was keen on dealing with,

"May I?" Laura asked Letty.

"No problem girl…"

Letty backed off and Laura got stuck in. She had never been so violent before and she realised how much of a release it could be! She could feel her anger melt away with every punch she threw. It was amazing… The guy recognised her from the incident he had been involved in before and he grinned at her,

"You want more bitch? Where's your man? He couldn't handle this himself?" the Chinese guy managed to talk even though his mouth was full of blood.

"You just keep talkin' asshole…" she said as she gave a sarcastic, sexy grin and punched him hard right in the jaw.

His head whipped back and he fell against the wall behind him. She ignored the sickening crack she heard as his head hit the bricks.

"Ok people, lets move!" she heard Dom shout.

The whole team backed off whoever they were attacking at the time and ran out an exit door at the back of the garage. She managed to look back at the mess they had created and she couldn't help but smile. She may seem evil to be thinking these thoughts but she didn't care. The feeling of pure bliss as she got back at those guys was unbelievable. Six guys were left moaning and rolling about the floor of the garage. Just as the fire door swung shut behind them Laura heard the garage doors open and a load of shouting. She realised a lot more of Trans' men would be coming after them so she picked up the pace and sprinted to Vince's car.

As she got in the back with Letty and Jesse, and Vince sped off, Hector close on his tail, she looked back in time to see four motorbikes in hot pursuit.

"Shit…" Dom said, "Vince man…you gotta lose em…"

"I KNOW THAT DAWG!" Vince shouted over the roar of engines.

Laura noticed the guys on the bikes were holding machine guns. She pulled her revolver out of the back of her jeans and cocked it, ready for whatever might happen next. Jesse looked at her as if to say 'don't '. It felt as though she had held a gun before, as if she had used one too. Everything seemed to come so naturally. She heard the Chinese guys fire a few rounds at the car, missing as Vince moved across the lanes,

"FUCK! Not my car dawg!" Vince moaned as he swerved right onto another street. Hector went a separate way and two of the bikes followed him. Laura wound her window down and turned round in her seat. Before she could think about what she was doing she stuck her hand out of the window, held the gun tightly and pulled the trigger a few times in the direction of the two bikes on their tail. Dom swung round in his seat and stared blankly at her,

"What the fuck are you doin'!"

"Dom you said they were there if we needed them…well, now I think we might need them!"

He looked at her a little longer and then nodded,

"I guess… But you do realise what you'll have to face if you kill one of them. Or even worse a passer by?"

"Yeah…but I'd rather face that than have them kill us!"

"Good point…"

Dom turned back round in his seat, put his window down and prepared himself in case he needed to back her up, although she seemed to be doing fine herself!

"Aim for the tires!" Dom shouted at her and she did so.

She blew one of the bikes tires and it swerved across the road and flew into a bush. She noticed how distressed the very few people on the pavements seemed to be. They would scream and run for cover. She felt sure it wouldn't be long before she would hear sirens headed their way.

"ONE DOWN!" She shouted, the adrenaline once again pumping through her.

Dom managed to hit the other bikes rear tyre and it swerved off the road almost crashing into a shop window. Luckily it was half eight at night so the streets weren't as busy as usual. Just as they thought they had escaped any major catastrophe a loud bang sounded and the car began to swerve all over the road.

"Shit man! A tyres out…I can't drive back like this!" Vince yelled as he tried to control the car.

"Dom we'll have to leave it somewhere and make a run for it!" Letty yelled.

"We can't leave it! It'll be somethin' for the cops to pick up and then we'd be screwed. We need to get it back somehow or they'll have somethin' to nail us with! Vince… you've done this before man. Just get us away from here…anywhere…as long as we're away from this part of town!"

Vince nodded and as he straightened up the car he accelerated a little and pulled onto the highway. As Laura had anticipated, sirens were heard from somewhere in the distance. A few minutes later another tyre blew and Laura started to really panic when she saw how worried Letty looked. Letty never worried!

"Shit Dom, we won't make it anywhere near the garage!" Vince said, while trying his hardest not to crash into the wall running along the highway.

"OK…hold on a minute…let me think," Dom looked out the window in time to see an exit coming up, "Take this exit!"

Vince carefully took the exit and drove through a few streets before parking in an alleyway. They sat for a few seconds, listening to see if any cops were closing in on them…they weren't. Laura watched as the engine of the car smoked a little and she could tell they were sitting on the rims, the tyres were completely done.

"Yo Dom…do you realise we're still in Tran territory…if we get caught here we're dead!" Letty said as she got out of the car and shook her arms in the air, obviously trying to relax a little.

Dom nodded his head and pulled the walkie-talkie out of his pocket, "Yo Hector, were are you man? Did you lose them?"

The walkie-talkie crackled for a few seconds before Hector replied, "Yeah we're just arrivin' at the garage homes…were are you?"

"Our tyres got blown…we're stuck in the wrong part of town. That got a bit intense…I didn't think it would get so damn serious man! Listen…do me a favour and get back to our house. Get Mia to pack us a few essentials and get her and Brian outa there. Take them…shit…just take them some where! Tell us were to meet you when you get something arranged. We'll sort ourselves out!"

"No problem homes…stay outa sight…if they catch you…"

"Yeah man, I know…" Dom said and he turned the walkie-talkie off. He looked around the four expectant faces, "So we need to get us and the car outa here. Anyone any ideas?"

The group looked at each other, not sure what to say or do.

"Well…" Laura piped up, "We could leave the car here in the meantime and try get us outa here…get the car towed later. Truthfully I'm more worried about us getting' caught by the Trans than the car getting picked up by the cops. Could we not get a taxi or sumthin'?"

"Yeah man," Jesse said quickly, " I agree with Laura. We need to get back home…this has got way outa control…"

Dom thought for a second, "I dunno…if we're seen by any of his men Letty's right…we're dead."

"Well we have no other choice Dom…we cant just stand here all night…" Laura could feel her voice shake a little and she felt more than a little annoyed at Dom. He had no ideas…so why was he arguing with hers!

She found herself worrying about Brian. What would he think or do when he heard all this had went down? He would obviously worry about her, about all of them. She felt guilt cloud her vision and the rage and courage she had felt earlier seemed to melt away. She was a complete bitch… she had been ever since she was a kid. She had never really cared about what other people had wanted and now she could have possibly ruined the best thing she had ever had going. Brian had asked her specifically not to do this… and she went ahead with it anyway. It was completely her own fault if she got killed out here. She felt completely numbed by this realisation and suddenly the joys of revenge seemed insignificant…look what it had got them all into!

Dom could see the anxiety strewn across Laura and Letty's faces and he tried to console them,

"Ok, lets go out there and look for a taxi or something. But if anyone sees anything or anyone suspicious we bolt, but remember to stay together. Got it?"

They all nodded. There was nothing else they could do but follow Dom warily out onto the street. Laura realised you could only really hail a taxi near the city centre…they'd have to call for one out here. She voiced this worry and Dom agreed. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and called the cab company, arranging for them to get picked up at a club he knew around the corner.

As they made their way up the street Laura realised how quiet they all were. Of course it was normal for Jesse…but not for Vince or Letty or Dom…or even her!

"So…that was pretty serious…I thought it was gunna just be a quick beating of one or two of them and then we'd split…" Laura tried her best to break the silence. It frightened her more than the thought of what could happen to them out here.

"Yeah…it got pretty heavy. But you did good Laura. We all did good. I think I saw you enjoy it a little…" Dom looked at her grinning once again. It made her uncomfortable and she looked at the ground.

"Yeah…but do you blame me?"

"No. I'm just glad you can take care of yourself…saves me having to worry all the time. After all, we wouldn't want anything to happen to you…"

Laura heard Letty sigh beside her and she looked over to see an annoyed expression planted on her friends face. She couldn't blame the girl though… Dom was obviously flirting with her…and Letty was obviously sick of it. Laura doubted it was only herself that Dom seemed to enjoy teasing.

They turned the street corner and suddenly she heard Jesse's sharp intake of breath. She looked up just in time to see why. Three bikes sat outside the club they were to meet the cab at… and sitting on them were three of Tran's men.

"Fuck!" Dom whispered and he tried to push them all back round the corner so they wouldn't be seen but it was too late. Laura saw the expression on one of the Chinese guys faces change from indifference to recognition as he saw the group and then rage as he swung himself off his bike, pulled his weapon out of his coat and began running towards them. The other two guys followed suit and she also noticed three more men come out of the club and join their friends.

"RUN!" Dom shouted.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21- 

The whole team split, running as fast as they could back up the street they had come down. Laura checked her revolver, realising she only had one bullet left in the chamber. If she got caught she'd probably never see the light of day again… She followed Dom up a side street and realised she couldn't see any of the others. She slowed a little and looked behind her only to see an empty street.

"Laura what are you doing! Hurry up!" Dom called out to her from further up the street.

She caught up and he jogged a little slower, realising they had obviously lost the guys who were chasing them.

"Dom, where'd the rest of them go? I thought we were supposed to stay together! They could be in trouble!"

"I don't fuckin' know Laura!"

They stopped and hid in a doorway, looking up and down the road. It was empty, not even a car in sight. Laura felt a mixture of absolute fear and anxiety for the others. What if they had been caught? Vince, Jesse and Letty… they could be getting tortured _right now_.

"Dom we need to find them…"

"I know that!"

He looked up and down the street and suddenly pushed her inside the building they had been standing outside. Luckily it had been open...it was an old warehouse of some kind.

"Dom…What the fuck…"

"Shhh…listen!"

Laura fell silent as she heard some bikes race by.

"Did they see us?" Laura was shaking.

"I don't think so…"

Laura went further into the warehouse and sat on a pile of boxes. She had to calm herself…if she didn't she'd end up having a panic attack and she wouldn't be able to deal with the situation at hand. Dom sat beside her and stroked her back,

"Look, don't panic, it'll be ok. I'm waiting on word from Hector…as soon as he's got Mia and Brian somewhere safe he'll contact me and we'll go meet him."

"Yeah but what about Letty…Vince... Jesse?"

"I don't know Laura! They should have stayed with us…"

"Dom, maybe we should have stayed with them…did you ever think of it that way? _We_ abandoned _them_!"

He looked at her for a minute and then shook his head,

"No Laura. They know to follow me… They always follow me…"

"For fuck sake Dom…your head is stuck way too far up your ass! You might be who they all look up to but you're not they're damn boss!"

He stared at her again, surprised at her outburst. Laura stood up, feeling uncomfortable at the expression on his face. Why did he always look at her that way when she got angry…it was like he got off on it!

"Laura…do you realise you are the only person who has the balls to talk to me like that…? The others will get angry but they'd _never_ say that shit to me. Well…maybe Vince would..."

"Well…I'm just not scared of you. I respect you…and I owe a lot to you…but I'm not scared of you."

He nodded his head while grinning and got up to stand beside her.

"I admire that…"

Laura felt her throat seize up. What exactly was running through his mind right now? The only words that were running through her head were 'don't do this Dom…don't mess things up…' He began to stroke her arm and wouldn't take his eyes off hers.

"Dom…"

"Shut up."

He pushed her hard against one of the pillars in the warehouse.

"No Dom! Don't…what about Letty…Brian!"

"You seem to be attracted to most of the guys in our fuckin' team…why not me? And since when have you had morals? You dumped Leon for Brian! You didn't seem to give a fuck about his feelings!"

He leaned against her, his weight almost suffocating her. She could feel his breath on her face,

"DOM DON'T!"

She pushed hard and caught him off guard. He stumbled back a little and stared at her, anger suddenly flaring up in his eyes. His glare was icy and she suddenly felt scared being here with him, alone.

Just then the walkie-talkie beeped. Dom looked at it, almost as if he wasn't sure what to do. Then he remembered what was going on around them and turned the volume up.

"Yo homes…are you there. Speak up man!" Hector was now yelling.

"Sorry man. What's up? Where are you?"

"I got Mia and Brian to my place along the coast…out near Santa Monica. No one else apart from us knows about it and I don't think anyone followed us out here so it's safe. Get yourself out here and don't bring any unwanted guests with you."

"Right man…thanks. We kinda got split in the process of runnin' from some of Tran's men. I don't know where Letty, Vince and Jesse are… I'm gunna have to find them first before we come meet you. I'll let you know when we're on our way. Ok?"

"Sure homes…be careful man."

Dom put the walkie-talkie in his back pocket and sighed while rubbing his head.

"Let's go find them…" he said while walking to the warehouse doors and peeking outside. Once the coast was clear he motioned for her to follow him. She hesitated and then decided arguing about what had just happened would have to wait… the others could be in real trouble.

They walked out into the street. It was late now and it was dark, only the streetlights illuminating the place. There wasn't a car, bike or pedestrian in sight. Dom looked both ways and she knew what he was thinking…Where do I start? She took the initiative and went right… remembering that had been the direction she had last seen her friends headed in. Dom quietly followed her as she walked back down the side street they had come up earlier. She zig zagged in and out of streets and alleyways. Every time she heard an engine she would hide in the shadows. She couldn't believe she would have to hide all the time now. Maybe even for the rest of her life… it was then that she decided their little stunt had been a bad idea. It had got them into too much trouble. While she searched for her friends and almost drowned herself with her thoughts she forgot Dom was with her. She also forgot about time and before she even realised how far they had walked Dom nudged her,

"We've been looking for nearly an hour Laura. There's no chance we'll find them… maybe they went back to the garage or the house…or the store."

She nodded just as she saw a cab round the corner. She startled Dom by waving her arms and running towards the oncoming car. Luckily the driver seemed happy to take them wherever it was they needed to go. Dom told the driver to go to the garage first.

Twenty minutes later they pulled up outside it only to find the place quiet and in darkness.

"No one's here Dom. Let's go check the store and the house…"

Dom nodded, "At least they haven't burned the place to the ground…"

They went back to the cab and went to the store only to find the same situation. As they made there way to the house Laura felt doubtful. Would they really have come back home? They would have known it was dangerous, surely.

Laura got out of the cab and as she was about to rush round to the back of the house Dom grabbed her arm.

"Be careful. Tran's men could be skulking about the place…"

She snatched her arm away from him, "I know that!"

She walked round to the back door and went inside. The place was dark, cold and empty. She searched around a little, her hand permanently on her gun. They were just about to leave when she noticed a piece of paper hidden neatly under the bbq in the back garden. She went over and picked it up. It was a note from Letty!

"Oh thank God!" Laura said smiling.

She read it out loud, 

_We're Ok. Jesse got shot in the arm but we've stopped the bleeding. We got a cab to the place along the coast…you know the one I mean Dom. Hurry up and get here…we have no clue where to go next._

Letty 

Dom sighed with relief. Laura didn't have a clue where Letty was talking about but she guessed that was the idea. If any of Trans men where to find the note then they wouldn't have a clue either.

Dom ran back to the cab, Laura following close behind.

"Joe's Bar…on the coast road." Dom said to the driver.

"No problem man…I know it well." the driver replied.

Laura sat back in her seat. At last they had found them. Hopefully they would still be there… after all; they could have left that note hours ago!


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22- 

The cab pulled up outside the bar about ten minutes later. Laura followed Dom into the dark, crowded room and straight over to a booth at the back. Letty, Vince and Jesse were sitting, beers in hand and looking pretty pissed off. Dom sat beside Letty and Laura chose to squeeze in beside Vince and Jesse on the opposite side of the table.

"Where the fuck have you been! We've been worried sick Dom!" Letty yelled over the music and drunken voices.

She looked over at Laura, her eyes full of suspicion. It was then that Laura understood why Letty was so paranoid when it came to Dom being around other girls; he was a complete man whore!

"Sorry baby… we didn't know where you were…it took us a while to get to the house and then find the note…clever thinkin' by the way." Dom leaned over and kissed Letty rough and needy, not just surprising her, but the whole table.

In the end Vince had to clear his throat loudly and when that failed he banged the table with his fist,

"Hey man! This is not the time… what's happened with Mia and Brian? They weren't at the house when we got there dawg!"

Dom let go of Letty and leant back on the bench, rubbing his hand over his head,

"They're Ok man. Hector took them to his place along the coast. We've to go meet them. We should go now… they're bound to be goin' crazy."

They all nodded and as Laura got up ready to go she caught sight of two police officers at the bar. They were talking to the barman, asking questions. She pushed Vince back into the booth and turned her back to the bar. Panic set in, she looked around for any way they could escape without being noticed. Dom noticed straight away what had worried her and started looking around for an exit they could use. All sorts ran through her head. Had they found the car? Had they found Mia and Brian…held them for questioning? Were they even here for them? Vince nudged her and she realised Dom was talking,

"You get that Laura?" Dom was looking expectant. Had he said something?

"Uh no…sorry. What?"

He sighed impatiently, "Once the cops turn their backs I'll give a signal and we'll run for that fire exit." He pointed at an exit near the back of the bar.

"Ok got it."

They sat for a few seconds and then Dom nodded his head and made a run for it. The cops may have been there for a completely different reason but they could take no chances. They all made it outside without being seen and they stopped running when they got a few hundred yards up the highway. Jesse took a while to catch up, Vince trying his best to help him along.

"Hectors apartment is only a 15 minute walk from here…we'll hike it." Dom said as he put his arm around Letty and took the lead.

Laura could only think about how much of an asshole Dom was. He hadn't even acknowledged Jesse's injury! Vince helped him along, and it didn't look like he was losing much or any blood but Jesse was still limping and obviously in a lot of pain. Laura ran up to Jesse's other side and put his arm over her shoulder,

"Hey Jess, you Ok man. You losing any blood?" She asked, her voice full of concern.

"No I'm Ok. Letty stopped the bleeding…it just hurts a lot. The bullet only skimmed me…so there's no entry wound. It's not that bad."

"K." she smiled down at him and looked at Vince.

Vince's jaw was twitching as he watched Dom up ahead. He was obviously thinking the same as her. Dom really could be completely selfish at times. She caught Vinces' glance and he shook his head. She rolled her eyes, then looked back down at Jesse as he groaned.

"Come on Jess…only a few more minutes…we'll be there soon." Laura didn't actually know when they'd be there but Jessie obviously needed some encouragement.

It took nearly half an hour to get to Hectors place. By then Dom and Letty had realised Jesse needed a bit more help and had taken him off Laura and Vinces hands for a while. Lauras' shoulders and back screamed out. Even with two of them holding Jesse up he was still, surprisingly, a tonne weight. Hector buzzed them up and greeted them at the door as if nothing had happened. Laura looked around the apartment for Mia and Brian. Hector sensed she was anxious to see them,

"They're in tha sittin' room chica…I'd watch it though…Brian's on the war path. Especially with Dom."

Dom's ears picked this up and he scorned. Laura walked into the sitting room to find Mia asleep on a chair and Brian standing at the window. She saw his back tense as she made her way over to him. Suddenly, her emotions caught up with her and she broke down in tears,

"I'm so sorry Brian. I know I promised you I wouldn't go looking for trouble but I had to… I couldn't let them get away with it…"

She stood for a lifetime, tears running down her cheeks, waiting for a response from Brian. He stood still staring out the window, as if there was something amazing going on outside. Finally he turned round to face her. As soon as he saw the state she was in, the tear-streaked face, the lost eyes, he melted. Laura could see the pain fill his eyes as he wiped a tear from her face. He sighed and hugged her. He stood holding her as she cried… cried for the trust she had lost in him, cried for the foolish girl she had proved herself to be, cried for the mistake they had just made, for the mess they were all in now. He led her into a bedroom and closed the door, setting her on the bed,

"Laura… I was so worried. Why did you go…? You knew I didn't want you to…did you not know why?"

She looked at him as he sat beside her, her tears blurring her vision and she shrugged,

"I don't know. I needed… I needed to get back at them Brain…for hurting you so bad, and I guess I needed to prove myself too. I needed the team to know I could take care of myself…but it was so foolish, I get that now. I'd do anything to take it all back."

He nodded his head, "I know. I knew you'd go anyway. Nothing can hold you down. I just wish you would let me take care of you, instead of you doing stupid things that could get you killed... I wish I coulda seen you though…"

Laura was surprised when he said this and she looked at him only to find him grinning,

"I bet you kicked ass. It's a pity I couldn't have been there with you… I can only imagine what it was like. I heard they chased you…intense!"

Laura laughed, but it was a tired laugh, "It was exhilarating at the time I guess. But now when I think of it all…it wasn't worth it. I got so much pleasure from beatin' the crap outa them…but it means we are _all_ in a whole load of shit now. I mean…what are we gunna do? We need to go back and get the car… now we probably have the cops after us as well as the Trans."

"Don't worry about it. Dom will figure somethin' out… we might take a trip down to Mexico for a while _or_ I was thinkin' we could all go to…Ireland, what do ya think?"

She looked at Brain, trying to figure out if he was being serious or not. She would like to go back to see her friends but the thought of running into her family or worse, Jerry, scared her,

"I dunno Brian…Mexico, sure. But not Ireland…I don't think I could go back."

He nodded his head, "It was only a suggestion. Mexico's easier to get to anyway."

They both sat in a comfortable silence for a while, thinking about what obviously had to happen next. Laura's dream of living in Cali seemed impossible right now… none of them could stay here. Someone knocked the door and Dom poked his head into the room,

"We need to talk Brian… in the kitchen."

Brian nodded and Dom left, frowning at something. Laura made her way into the kitchen followed by Brian who, seeing Dom's stare, put his arm around her.

"Ok. I think it's pretty fuckin' obvious shit got heavy today…a little too heavy. The best think we can do is leave for Mexico…stay down there for a few months until this all blows over. The cops _may _be after us but the Tran's definitely are and I don't think it's a good idea for us to hang around and wait for someone to get killed. Everyone down with that?"

Dom looked around the group and settled his gaze on Laura and Brian. He shifted his footing a little as he caught Laura's gaze, she wanted to make him uncomfortable and it worked. He looked at his hands and then back up at Mia, who seemed a little upset,

"Dom…I can't do this again. I can't run from this shit all my life…"

"Mia, I swear to you I'll sort this out…somehow. And then no more fuck-ups. We just need to lay low for a while…and we have friends in Mexico that can set us up." Dom tried to reassure her but she didn't look convinced.

"I think it's the best we can do with a bad situation man, " Letty said sighing, "we need to split for Mexico as soon as possible though cuz Tran won't take long to find us and you can be sure he'd send a fuckin' army after us."

Dom nodded, "We should all go tonight…go to the house, pick up some essentials, the cars and go. Vince, we'll go with the tow truck to get your ride and take it too. It'll give us somethin' to work on down there…"

They all nodded and stood in silence. No one wanted to run…least of all Laura, she was sick of running, but they couldn't risk staying in LA. She knew that for sure.

"Hector man, it's been a pleasure as usual. Thanks for everythin' and if anyone comes lookin'…"

"Yeah man I know…I haven't seen you."

The whole team made their way out of Hectors apartment and down onto the street. Mia waved two cabs down and they all squeezed in. Laura and Brian were the last to get into the second cab. She hugged Hector,

"You should race on Friday man…now that Dom won't be there."

Hector laughed, "Maybe I will. Stay safe chica…"

She nodded and got into the cab, watching Hector as they drove off. It wasn't fair, maybe Hector should be coming too. He was in as much danger as they were.

Twenty minutes later they pulled outside the house. It looked strange as it sat dark and empty. It felt strange to be here too for some reason. Dom and Vince stayed in the cab explaining they'd be back in an hour with the tow truck and Vince's car. Dom told the rest of them to get what they had to get from the house and to make sure they were ready to go when they got back. Laura made her way into the house, immediately running up the stairs into her room. She packed all her clothes in record time and within ten minutes her room was as bare as it had been the day she moved in. She didn't have many things so luckily she wouldn't have to leave anything behind.

She made her way downstairs to find Brian sitting on the couch, his bags beside him. Letty was packing up the PS2 and Laura laughed,

"What?" Letty looked innocent, "We're not leavin' it…"

Brian watched Laura as she paced the room.

"Do we need anything from the store or the garage?" She looked at Letty, knowing Dom would have told her what was organised in the cab.

"No. Hector will look after the store and the garage will stay closed. We have two cars in it at the mo, Hector said he'll finish them up, give them back to the owners and shut up shop till we get back."

Laura nodded. Dom seemed very organised, like he was a pro when it came to running. Of course they all were in a way.

"Shit, I haven't driven my Skyline in like two weeks! I don't even know if it needs gas…"

Laura ran out to the drive. Her baby was sitting, looking as good as new. It was lucky Dom had replaced the tyres. She made her way over, keys in hand and got into the drivers' seat. Brian watched from the steps as she started her up and watched the gauge. It felt weird to be in it after all this time. She remembered the last time she had driven it…the accident. She shook the thoughts from her head and sighed with relief as the gauge read full. Dom must have filled her up too.

She returned to the house and sat with Brian watching the rest of the team pack things up. Mia ran around after she had packed her own clothes tidying things away. She pulled plugs complaining she didn't want to come back and have the place burnt to a crisp. Laura kept her mouth shut as she realised the Trans might oblige anyway…Within half an hour there was a pile of bags at the door and everyone had checked their rides to see if they needed gas. Once they were sure everything was done they all sat on the steps outside waiting for Dom and Vince. Laura wondered what the neighbours might think if they saw them all sitting like this, bags piled to the sky at 2.30 in the morning.

Mia looked worried, mainly because both her brother and boyfriend had went back into the wrong side of town. Luckily a few minutes later a truck pulled up with Vinces blue maxima on the back of it. Mia sighed with relief as Dom jumped out of the truck and made his way over to them.

"Lucky the cops hadn't taken it…found it exactly how we left it. You all ready?"

Mia nodded, "I pack some of your shit. Everything's taken care of…let's get goin' before I change my mind."

They all got up and headed to their cars. No one smiled, no one laughed, it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Of course what had they to be happy about, they were leaving their life behind…again. Vince pulled off in the truck followed by Dom in his RX-7, Letty in her 240SX, Mia in her Acura, Jesse in his Jetta and Brian in his Skyline. Laura fell in at the end, happy to follow them all. She felt guilty as hell. It was her fault they all had to leave, she was the one that had insisted they go after the Trans.

As they pulled onto the Santa Ana Freeway, Laura turned her stereo on. She turned the volume up to nearly full as Limp Bizkits' 'Lonely world' came on. She sang along, the lyrics making complete sense and somehow making her feel better,

_When I reminisce ignorance was bliss_

_Back in the days where the magic exist_

_Never be the same as it was, 'cuz the way it was_

_Just another day in the maze of a myth_

_Had a lot of fun livin' life on the run_

_Never had a chance to pause to get a better glance_

_Everything was free and everything was fast_

_Never even thought it wouldn't last_

_Another day another night inside a lonely world_

_Another game another fight inside a lonely world_

_Another wrong another right inside a lonely world_

_Such a lonely world such a lonely world_

_No matter how hard I can try inside a lonely world_

_No one can hear me when I cry inside a lonely world _

_I'll never know the reasons why inside a lonely world_

_Such a lonely world such a lonely world_

Who knew how long they'd be driving for. All she knew was that they were going to Mexico…but where in Mexico? Tijuana…Mexico City? Only Dom knew. She guessed he was expecting them to follow him… no surprise there then.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23- 

Hours passed and the team drove on. No one stopped, no matter how tired they might have been. They drove on so many freeways Laura could hardly keep track; the San Diego freeway, the John J Montgomery freeway. It took three hours for them to finally reach Tijuana. The whole team pulled into a motel car park just past the Mexican border at 5.30 am.

Laura pulled up beside Brian, everyone else already standing around, waiting for Dom to decide to let go of Letty and acknowledge them. She got out and stretched, glad for the air and space! A weight lifted from her chest. She had got across the border no problem and now no one could touch them.

"You Ok? Enjoy the drive?" Brian asked a little sarcastically.

"It was tiring… Do you think Dom will let us stop, I don't think I could drive anymore at this time in the morning."

"He should, I mean we _are_ outside a motel."

Dom walked over to them after his very public display of affection with Letty.

"We'll stop here for the night… get rooms and we'll meet back out here tomorrow morning." Dom went to walk off, Letty hanging off his arm, when Laura stepped forward.

"Wait a second Dom…where the hell are we headed, _exactly_?"

Dom turned to look at her. She could feel the tension between them rise as soon as their eyes met. Could she ever forget what had happened in the warehouse? Was that what he wanted…for her to just forget?

"I have guys that'll set us up for a while in Monterrey. But it takes about 11 hours to get there so I guess we'll be driving all day tomorrow."

"Are you being serious Dom?"

"When am I not serious?"

Laura sighed impatiently, "Whatever."

She stalked into the reception followed by Brian and the rest of the team.

"Will we share?" Laura looked at Brian, a grin forming on his lips.

"Sure…"

She rented a room and went back outside, swinging the keys on her finger. Instead of heading over to the room though she headed for the bar across the street which still seemed to be open.

"Wow, hold on…we need to sleep baby. And I doubt driving for 11 hours tomorrow will be any easier with a hangover." Brian warned her.

"I need a drink Brian."

He held his hands up, wary of the warning tone in Laura's voice, "Fine."

Brian followed her across the street and into the bar, which was almost empty, probably due to the fact it was almost 6 am. Laura sat at the bar, Brian sitting beside her.

"What can I get this beautiful chica?" the barman asked, eyeing her strangely.

"Uh…I'll have a…hell I dunno…anythin' that will knock me out."

The barman nodded and turned to Brian,

"I'll just have a coke or somethin'."

Two minutes later the barman returned with Brian's coke and some form of Mexican Vodka for Laura. Whatever it was, it was strong and burnt the tastebuds from her tongue… just what she wanted.

Laura was to busy trying to get her drink down her throat she never noticed the concerned expression forming on Brians face or the fact Dom had just stalked over to them, anger flaring in his eyes.

"Whatdoyouthinkyou'redoin'!" Dom asked her trying to stay calm, "You can't fuckin' drive if you're drunk or have a damn hangover!"

Laura, having downed four of the weird Vodkas already, smiled stupidly at Dom and tried to stand to face him, only to stumble on the seat and fall into Brians lap.

"Look DOM," she spat, getting up from Brians lap, "I actually don't give a fuck right now…I want to drink…this is a very nice bar…with a very nice barman…and I want a drink. And I can drive with a hangover, I've done it plenty of times before!"

Laura straightened herself, trying not to look any of the rest of the team. She knew how stupid she was being but she needed some kind of release and this was a perfect opportunity.

Dom shook his head, "Grow up Laura."

He went to walk off, giving Brian an exasperated look but Laura stopped him,

"Don't ever tell me to grow up you BASTARD! Don't you think _you_ have a lot of growing up to do?" she directed her glare at Letty before smiling maliciously at Dom.

"Don't start Laura…" Dom warned, "go to bed and sleep it off."

Laura was fuming, how dare he speak to her like this. It wasn't ever him that got told off or got into trouble for being 'stupid' yet he made as many mistakes as the rest of them!

"No Dom. I think now is as good a time as any to sort this out. What have you to be sorry for? Come on, spit it out…now's your time to apologise!"

Dom looked slightly uncomfortable and Laura noticed Letty suddenly become interested in the conversation.

"Brian…take her across the street NOW!" Dom was definitely trying to avoid the confrontation.

Brian looked from Laura, to Dom and then back to Laura, obviously not wanting to get involved. He flinched at the forceful NOW, obviously not liking the fact he was being ordered to do something.

"Don't you dare do this Dom. It's about time you faced up to some of your shit. You're not as perfect as you make out to be!" Laura could fell the fury ripple through her blood.

Brian stood up sighing and took Laura by the shoulders,

"Laura lets go sleep. Now isn't the time. If you want to sort something out then do it in Monterrey. It's not a good idea to make people angry before an 11 hour drive."

Laura looked at Brian, fatigue taking over and slumped into his arms. She hadn't the energy to carry on with this now anyway but it had felt good to see Dom cringe. He led her towards the door but before she would leave she needed to do something to get rid of the rage she felt towards Dom. He thought he was getting away with it again… She turned, walked straight over to him and punched him as hard as she could. He stumbled back a little and clutched his nose.

"Now I'll be driving with a hangover and you'll have a headache of your own!"

She stalked out of the bar and across the street, welcoming Brians arm around her waist. She probably would have collapsed without him. He led her into the room and she fell onto the bed.

"Laura, what was all that about? What happened between you and Dom?"

"I just hate how he acts like he's the boss over everyone and when we make mistakes he lectures us…but he's far from perfect! He's the worst! But no one lectures him! He gets away with everything and I'm sick of it! He needs to face some of the shit he's caused."

Brian nodded, "Well what has he done that you seem so keen on making him face up to?"

"He just needs to learn that he can't have everything he wants and that when he doesn't get shit he should act like an adult about it instead of sulking. And he needs to appreciate Letty…I mean God! She's been there for him through thick and thin for years and he still…" she trailed off.

"He still what?" Brian asked getting very suspicious, "Did he try anything with you?"

Laura turned her back to Brian, "I'm tired. And like you said, there's no point in making people angry when they've to face an 11 hour drive."

"Laura answer the damn question! Did he try somethin'?"

She slowly turned round to face him, aware of what he could do if she told him. Why was she so stupid…she should have kept her mouth shut. She never thought about how it would affect Letty or Brian, all she thought about was how shitty Dom would feel.

"Look Bri, don't go off on one. He got a little carried away when we were hiding in the city waiting on word from Hector. We were in an empty warehouse and he got caught up in the moment. Nothing happened but if I hadn't pushed him away and if Hector hadn't…well lets just say he might have…" she trailed off again. Would he really have tried again if Hector hadn't spoke through the walkie-talkie?

"Fuck! That bastard! I'll kill him!" Brian marched towards the door.

"Brian don't! Leave it. He'll get his comeuppance in Monterrey…I swear it. He needs to realise he isn't a bloody God! But leave it for now."

Brian stopped pacing and sat beside her. He looked at her for ages before finally looking at the floor,

"I hate the thought of his hands on you."

"I know," she smiled. She would never get used to the fact he actually liked her this much! "His hands didn't get far though. So don't worry too much!"

He laughed, "I'm always worryin' about you…"

She sighed and kissed him, "Well don't. I'm fine. If I ever need help though you'll be the first person I go to. Now sleep, we've got a long day ahead of us."

Brian nodded and jumped over her legs to the other side of the bed. He lay down, putting his arm around her, and she could tell he was sleeping only a few minutes later. She turned slowly to face him, this angel, as he snored quietly. He looked so content. She hoped he was dreaming about her...in fact she hoped he thought about her half as much as she did about him, that would be enough. She realised Brian was the only thing now that truly mattered to her. She would never let him down again…and she would never leave him. She just hoped he wanted the same…


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24- 

Laura woke with a splitting headache at 7.23 am exactly. Brian snored quietly beside her, looking as irresistible now as he had the night before. Her heartstrings pulled and she realised how bad she had fallen for him. She got up and made her way to the bathroom, looking in the mirror on the way past the wardrobe. She looked like absolute shit. She splashed her face with water and decided a shower was her best option.

She turned the taps on and stepped under the harsh drops of lukewarm water. Her head was spinning. What the hell had she drank last night? Nothing had ever had this effect on her before…not after only four glasses!

"Hey babe you feelin' ok?" Brian asked through the door. She could hear the concern in his voice.

"I'm ok I guess. Just havin a shower. I'll be out in a mo."

"K"

Ten minutes later she walked back into the bedroom towel drying her hair to find no Brian but a note stuck on the door.

Went out for some air…thought I might have a little chat with Dom. Wont start anything I swear. Be back soon Love you, Brian.

"Shit." She muttered as she threw the towel down and ran out the door, "Won't start anything my ass."

She found Brian in a café about two hundred metres down the street with most of the team eating their way trough a few hundred pancakes. The sight of food made her want to hurl.

"Hey," she said to Brian as he saw her appear beside them, "Where's Dom?"

Brian frowned, "I dunno Laura. Are you really that worried?"

"N...No I didn't mean I was worried I just… never mind."

Brian's expression softened and he smiled, moving up more so she could squeeze in beside him, "Sorry I'm a little touchy this mornin babe."

"S'ok." She said trying her best to look at anything but the syrup.

"You sufferin' from last night then?" Letty asked, careful to avoid the argument.

"Yeah…" Laura said smiling, "In more ways than one I think."

The whole team stayed silent for a while, the only noise being the other customers. Dom finally turned up about twenty minutes later. He didn't look as if he had actually slept…neither did Letty for that matter. Typical.

"Everyone ready to split? We need to get on the road as soon as possible." Dom said trying hard not to look at Laura. His nose was a little swollen but it didn't actually look that bad. Laura felt extremely disappointed.

"Sure." Brian said icily, looking Dom straight in the eyes, not even flinching for one second. Laura knew Brian was letting Dom know he knew what had happened and Dom seemed to get the message. He looked at Laura for the first time and then back at Brian, not sure what to do.

"Ok then. Meet you all out at the cars."

Dom made a quick exit, followed by Jesse who seemed eager to leave for Monterrey. That had been the first time Laura had ever seen Dom truly uncomfortable.

"Well I'm not leavin' till I finish these pancakes!" Letty said grinning.

Laura couldn't help but laugh. Letty was like a female version of Vince!

Half an hour later and the whole team was back on the road. Laura felt extremely sick for many reasons. One, she had a hangover. Two, she felt uneasy at what would go down with Dom, Brian and Letty in Monterrey. Three, Letty had been kind enough to inform her Leon would be waiting for them in Monterrey. Laura had completely forgotten about him. And Four, the roads in these parts where shit and every bump made her stomach scream out "I'm gunna barf!"

The radio didn't help either. She couldn't find one station that played decent music. And her CD player didn't seem to want to work…just perfect. So she was forced to drive alone and in silence for hours upon hours. They had left at 9 am and it was now pushing 4 pm. They hadn't stopped for a break once and Laura's headache had only got worse. This day could only get better.

A shrill ringing noise pierced through her thoughts and the pain shooting through her head made her want to scream. She realised her cell phone was ringing. Where the hell was it though? She reached into her jacket pocket…no phone. Where was the ringing coming from…the back seat? She looked round and saw the phone ringing away. How the hell did it get in there? She managed to answer it before it rang off.

"Hello," she said, relieved she hadn't crashed in the process of leaning into her back seat.

"Hey babe you Ok?"

It was Brian.

"Shit how long are we gunna go before we stop Brian? The silence is drivin' me crazy…I have absolutely no music to listen to. And I am not gunna be the one to call Dom and ask to stop…but its been 7 hours!"

"Yeah I know I was thinkin' the same. I'll call him. Just hang on in there, and just keep thinking we only have 4 hours to go."

"Whoopty doo…" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "speak to you in a minute."

Laura waited patiently for any sign they were going to stop. Sure enough, ten minutes later, Dom indicated into a small car park outside a café. Did this town actually have a name? It consisted of a café, a motel, a bar and two houses, both looking pretty derelict. All the small towns down here looked the same!

Laura pulled up and got out of the car. She needed to talk to Dom. This whole situation could not get blown out of proportion in Monterrey. Suddenly the thought of revenge on him didn't seem too appealing.

"Hey Dom," she said quietly, stepping up beside him, "can we talk?"

He looked at her for a second, trying to hide a look of surprise, "Sure give me a minute."

She nodded. She wasn't planning to act all nicey nicey to him but she had to clear the air.

"Ok guys we'll stop for an hour, get something to eat and then drive on. I think it'd be better if we arrived in Monterrey tonight." Dom looked around the group of nodding heads and then turned to Laura sighing, "Come on."

He motioned for her to follow him across to a bar beside the motel. The rest of the group made their way inside the café. Letty and Brian looked less than happy to see them both walk off together but Laura gave Brian an 'it's ok ' look and he nodded.

Dom made his way into the bar, holding the door for Laura and then leading the way over to the barstools.

"What you havin'?" the barman asked.

"I'll have a beer, any kind just make it cold and she'll have…" Dom looked at her as she sat on a stool beside him.

"Oh uh, just a glass of water thanks."

The barman nodded and Dom looked at her questioningly.

"In case you haven't realised, I have a hangover and a beer would not help the situation, " she said, fatigue finally catching up with her.

"Ok so what do you want to talk about?"

She gave him a 'you know full well ' look and he nodded slowly.

"Look Dom I'm fine with what happened in LA. You got caught up in the moment and I get that it meant nothing. But you didn't even apologise. And then you act as if nothing happened, messin' around with Letty and all. I mean, have you no conscience?"

He looked at her for a minute not sure how to react to such a question. She thought he would blow up again but his next move surprised her,

"I've never really thought about my relationship with Letty as bein' serious…although it quite obviously is. I don't like being tied down. And, in case you haven't noticed, my dick rules over my head."

She smiled, "Yeah I kinda realised that."

"But I am sorry for what happened. I got alota pride you know? I don't like to admit when I'm wrong."

She nodded her head, sipping on her water, "Apology accepted. And I'm sorry for goin' off on one last night. Everything was gettin' at me and I don't like to be told what to do. I guess we've both got a lot of pride."

Dom smiled, "That's probably why we don't get along sometimes. Our personalities clash cuz we're so alike."

"For sure…uh, but I have to warn you, Brian's on the warpath. He's plannin' to maybe kill you…or somethin'. I'd watch yourself when we get to Monterrey. And if you don't want Letty findin' out about it all then keep her away from him…he might find it fulfilling to blab. Not that she shouldn't know though. Maybe she has a right to…"

"No, she can't know. She gets hurt too often by the shit I pull. I'll end up losin' her but I can't help myself sometimes, you know?"

"Funny…I never thought you'd be the kind to have a heart to heart with. You do have emotions after all…"

Dom laughed, "Very funny. Don't get used to it…you don't see this side of me very often. And you're one to talk…you never show your emotions!"

"Tell me about it."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while before Dom decided to speak up,

"So you worried 'bout seein' Leon in Monterrey? I only spoke to him for a few seconds on the phone the night we left LA but he seemed uneasy at the thought of seein' you."

"Well thanks for lettin' me know…I feel a whole lot better at the thought now…!"

"Sorry…didn't mean to make you anxious. Maybe it'll be good for you two to clear the air though. Leon can't hide forever. The team wants him home…although where that is right now is Monterrey. But when we go back up to LA in a few months Leon will be comin' with us. You do realise that…"

"Yeah I guess so. I'm ok with seein him. I do miss him you know…it'll be awkward but we'll sort it out."

Dom nodded again, "Good to hear. So can I ask…what made you want to forgive me for bein' an ass?"

"I got tired of the idea of revenge, " she laughed, "and I didn't realise I would hurt Letty in the process. Letty doesn't deserve that. You don't deserve her."

"I know. I guess you could keep an eye on me…stop me from bein' stupid in future."

Laura laughed, "I'm not gunna be with you all the time…but yeah, for Letty, ill keep an eye on you."

Dom smiled and Laura began to see his true colours. He was just like any other guy, ruled by lust, too stupid to see what he's got until he finally loses it. Everyone has faults; he just lets his show a little more clearly.

"We should get back to the others. I need food before we get drivin again. Oh and before we go," Laura said as she got up and followed Dom outside, "could we maybe take a look at my CD player? It ain't workin' and the thought of drivin' another four hours without music kills me."

"No problem. Could you do me a favour then?"

"Sure."

"Make sure Brian keeps a lid on it. If Letty finds out what I tried to pull with you she'll never forgive me."

"I can't promise anythin' but I'll try. Although I'm still tryin' to figure out why you deserve to get away with it…again."

Dom just smiled slyly, "Cuz it'll cause a whole loada shit and now isn't the time… and you know I deserve another chance…"

"I'm not so sure about that…" she said laughing. Dom really was a chancer!


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25- 

Laura and Dom made their way into the café and over to the team who were truly making a mess of their burgers and chips. Letty was in the process of making a mountain with hers. She looked more than relieved to see the two of them appear at the table. So did Brian for that matter.

Laura and Dom managed to squeeze in beside them all and the table quietened down as if they were expecting some revelation. Laura looked at Dom and she burst out laughing. The team, realising whatever had been causing the tension between the two of them was sorted, seemed to lighten up and actually began to enjoy themselves. Brian put his arm round Laura and pulled her close. She looked at him as if to say 'I'll tell you later'.

Within half an hour the whole team were outside getting ready to leave. Dom, Letty and Laura were looking in the trunk of Laura's Skyline at the six disc CD player to try and get it working again. It turned out that one of the discs had just been jammed and that the CD player was fine. A weight actually lifted from Laura's chest. The drive wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Ok," Dom said as he put the disc back in the player and closed it all up, "looks like we're ready to roll."

The team all got back in their cars but Brian made a point of waiting until they were all gone before making his way over to Laura.

"So you and Dom seem happy around each other again…"

"We talked, sorted stuff out. It's ok between us now. He apologised…so did I for the whole punchin' him thing. I told him you were mad so he's ready to deal with whatever you want to say or do to him. But Brian, it's seriously been sorted. I don't want a big scene in Monterrey. Will you do me a favour and just forget about it?"

Brian sighed and frowned, "Laura what makes you so sure he won't try it again?"

"Because it wasn't like that. He's not into me…it was just a mistake. Ever heard of getting caught up in the moment? Seriously it's all ok…"

"Ok. I'll leave it," he leaned over and kissed her, "See you in Monterrey babe."

"Yep."

She watched as Brian got into his car. Dom, being aware they had needed to talk, started up his engine after Laura gave him a nod. Everything seemed so much better now they had cleared the air. She had expected him to have killed her in the bar because she had punched him but no, he was cool about everything. Maybe he was having a change of heart…

The team all pulled out of the car park and Laura turned on her stereo. She loaded her old Linkin Park album and turned it up almost full blast. Even her headache had disappeared! Everything seemed ok…although she still had Leon to deal with in Monterrey…

The four hours seemed to pass a lot quicker than Laura had anticipated. Monterrey was a lot bigger than she had expected too. Obviously not as big as LA but big enough. They arrived outside a car garage at 10pm. Laura got out of her Skyline, leaving her stereo on and her door open. She sat on her hood and waited as Dom talked to some Latino guy. So this was were they'd stay for the next two months or so…it looked pretty cool. As long as they had a steady inflow of cars to be worked on she'd live.

"Hey." Brian said as he sat on the hood beside her, "Finally we're here. Looks great doesn't it?"

She had to admit the garage looked impressive. There were shelves of tools, some she didn't even recognise and there was the most amazing supra she had ever seen sitting on the garage floor. What she'd wouldn't do to get her hands on it…

"This is Laura…the newest addition to the team…and a whizz when it comes to engines." Dom said interrupting her thoughts.

She smiled at the Latino guy, rolling her eyes as he shamelessly checked her out, "Nice to meet you chica. I'm Sonny. It'll be nice to have another girl getting her hands dirty in my garage…"

What exactly was he getting at! His expression told her he wasn't talking about engines…

"Uh thanks…I think." She laughed and felt Brian tense a little beside her.

"Brian." Brian lent forward and grabbed the guys' hand unexpectantly, "Nice to meet you." Dom gave him a look.

Laura's breath caught in her throat as Leon stepped up from behind Sonny.

"Hey Laura. Brian." Leon nodded a hello.

Laura couldn't help herself, it may have been inappropriate but before she could stop herself she jumped of the hood of the car and hugged him, "Hey Le. How've you been? We've missed you."

Leon laughed a little nervously, not sure whether to put his arm round her. He decided it was fine for them to hug, "Uh… things have been good…well great actually. Nothing like some Mexican air to clear your head."

She nodded, not even trying to hide her huge smile. It felt great to see him…and there was no tension in the air. Well… hardly any. Dom watched with curiosity to see how Brian would react to the whole hug thing. Brian stood up and put a protective arm around Laura,

"Yeah Leon, it's really great to see you again man!" he said shaking Leon's hand.

Laura flinched at Brian's less than enthusiastic tone.

The whole team got ushered into the garage and sat around while Sonny introduced some guys who lived near by and worked in the garage. There was Miguel who was small and shy and Ovidio who, yet again, seemed _very_ interested in Mia, Letty and Laura. Where they all like this?

"So, how long you been into engines?" Sonny asked as the rest of the team listened to Ovidio tell some story on how some guys tried to shot at him during a bar-be-que.

"Uh, ever since I was about 12 or 13. My dad was really into them."

"Cool. So you'll be up for workin' on anythin' then."

"Yeah…I'm good with any car I think."

He nodded, grinning. He had a capped tooth and looked like a right criminal… although he wasn't bad to look at.

"Hey baby," Brain said, sitting beside her and eyeing Sonny suspiciously, "Thanks again Sonny for settin' us up. You've saved our asses."

"No problem homes, I'll find some way you can make it up to me." He winked at Laura before making his way over to Dom.

"Oh God, he's not even subtle is he?" Laura laughed, but Brian looked worried.

"No he isn't…"

"Awww Brian you look so jealous." She couldn't stop laughing at the expression on his face, "Don't tell me you feel threatened by _him_!"

Brian grinned stupidly, "Well not really…"

He laughed when he realised how paranoid he was being; "Ok no I don't feel threatened by him…I don't need to, right?"

Laura doubled over, clutching her stomach, "Oh Brian…of course you don't!"

He watched as she finally stopped laughing and wiped her tear stained cheeks. She stared into his eyes. She knew exactly what was running through his mind… she wanted him as bad as he wanted her. He grinned and leant in to kiss her…they hadn't been like this in a while… the intensity of his expression and the flutter in her chest… the kiss actually surprised her. Brian seemed nervous, as if he was scared to hurt her. His lips were soft but she could feel the need behind his façade. When would they finally get time alone again? Would they be expected to share a room? The thought made her smile…

"Hey sorry to interrupt you two but we're all pretty beat so Sonny'll show you where you're sleeping and I guess we'll meet up again in the mornin'" Dom said yawning.

"K," Laura said smiling as the whole group split.

"Well the rest of them know where to go cuz they've been here before but I guess you two don't have a clue so follow me. You OK sharin' I take it?" Sonny asked while taking them up some stairs to an apartment above the garage.

"Yeah, that's fine," Laura said quickly.

"Ok, well these rooms never really get used unless we have extra guests. There's no more room in my place for you two but it's only across the street so we're not far away. It just means you have to run across the street for food. But there is a bathroom up here. This Ok?" he asked as he showed them a bedroom, a small bathroom and a small living room type place. It even had a tiny TV.

"This is great! Probably even better than a room in your place…no offence."

"None taken I'm glad you like it. Well, there's a set of keys for the door at the top of the stairs there and I guess I'll see you in the mornin'. Come over whenever you want."

"Ok thanks Sonny." Laura called out as he waved and made his way down the stairs.

"We need to get our stuff…do you wanna un-pack and all now?" Brian asked looking around the rooms, "You know this is practically an apartment! We were lucky to get it."

Laura laughed, "Yeah, Ill go get my bags but I'm not haulin' yours up!"

Brian grinned, "That's ok, you'll need your energy for when we're done…"

"Ha…oh really?" She laughed again. It felt good to be able to act normal again.

They carried all their bags up from the trunk of their cars. Laura had two bags; Brian only had one, so it didn't take them long. Laura had also thought to bring a portable stereo/CD player and as she set it on the table in the tiny living room Brian smiled,

"Nice thinking…I was wondering how we'd live without music."

"Ah, you see…brains and beauty!" Laura said in a sexy voice as she closed and locked the door, making sure Brian heard the click of the lock.

He grinned at her, "All alone. Whatever will we do?"

"Oh I dunno," she said as she walked slowly over to him and put her arms around his neck, "we could unpack all our shit…"

"I have a better idea…" Brian said as he lifted her up and carried her to the bedroom.

She giggled with pure ecstasy. His arms felt sturdy and safe and the grin that was permanently planted on his face showed her he wasn't planning on letting her go any time soon. He dropped her on the double bed and carefully lay on top of her. The weight of his body on hers made her gasp for breath. He kissed her, first the nervous kiss she had experienced downstairs and then the kiss she knew only too well. They rolled over so she was on top of him. She sat up, one leg each side of him and took her top off. She saw the glint in his eye as she lent down and kissed him again. As her hands wandered to his belt and his fingers dug into her back she knew neither of them would sleep much tonight…


End file.
